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Rusted frame HELP!

18820 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  double0ram, 
E
well this is my first post here and I'm looking for some help. The truck is a 1995 Dodge ram 2500 its been in the family since I was little and is now referred to as ole' black it was going to be my first truck until I noticed earlier this year that it had a small crack in the frame and we took it to my grandpas to check it out. well he has a 2 post lift so we put it on it and slowly started lifting then in started making some bad sounds so we stopped and set it back down there is now 2 cracks. It rusted out where the skid plate bolts into the frame on both sides. the passenger side after taking a hammer to all the weak spots is missing the whole bottom and side piece of the frame in about a foot long section the other side we know we can weld but this side were not sure about any tips on how we can weld this thing? I really would hate to see this thing go to junk and want it back on the road. could we weld a plate on there and get it strong enough?
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D
pardon my french but damn! ha anyways... us ******** who make demo derby racers have been welding frames for along time.

OPTIONS!

FIRST contact your insurance company. you may or may not have luck there...

SECOND if you want go ahead and weld on a plate.

side note.... look into 'fish plating' your welded area. its another piece of steel bolted over the section of welded plate...
like this except more oval with no pointed or sharp edges

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D
it also wouldnt hurt to swing by a local metal shop and get some ideas from them... used to sandblast at one for a while
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Stangshcky12
^^^^^^ good idea
My buddy though his CJ5 could pull a new Tahoe and he ended up cracking his frame. It sounds like you have the resources to remove the cab and bed from the frame, I would weld the frame and patch over like mentioned, we try to use a piece of angle or c channel when possible
If you can get everything off the frame and really want the truck to last find anymore soft spot then hit the whole frame with POR15
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GTyankee
The only issue with vehicle frames is drilling holes
but if you drill & bolt & weld plates, that eliminates that concern

when i cut my 1956 chevy frame off near the firewall, we boxed the new to the old, it is a accepted repair
the conversion was to put a Chevelle front clip on the 1956 Truck
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D
GTyankee said:
The only issue with vehicle frames is drilling holes
but if you drill & bolt & weld plates, that eliminates that concern

when i cut my 1956 chevy frame off near the firewall, we boxed the new to the old, it is a accepted repair
the conversion was to put a Chevelle front clip on the 1956 Truck
Click to expand...
typically when we cut frames for our derby cars, we used a 30 degree cut. figured it would give a bit more strength. :4-dontknow: dunno if it actually did or not... but the frame never gave out on those spots!
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D
btw since no one has said it.. WELCOME TO THE FORUM!
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W
The last time I did a frame repair I bought a 2 1/2 foot section from the junk yard.

I cut 3/8-1/2 inch down the middle (and welded it back together) and tucked it inside of the old frame after cleaning the inside of the old frame. After welding it around the edges I sistered a plate to the outside of the old frame and welded it. Then I drilled it on both ends and bolted it.

I just don't know what kind of access you have so you may be able to do something similar to the outside by adding a piece and going over the old frame...Just a thought.

Welcome to the forum.
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Chunkem
Keep us updated and let us know how you make out......
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SnoopyIsMyHero
I had a similar issue with an old F100 with a shot frame. Had a junkyard cut out a section from a wreck and welded that in place (fishplating of course). You might want to look into your state laws regarding welded frames, some are more picky than others.
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E
Well dont really have any updates at the moment. My grandpa bought it back off of us and its been sitting in his yard for a while who knows if he'll ever get to it he's finishing up the 4 year restoration on his 49 dodge truck this month so it might be a while until he's ready for a new project. I hate that i cant find a donor truck to put the engine or something in for less than a running one prices are crazy on those rams around here compared to same year fords and chevy's

Here it is as it sits now... just rusting away more everyday
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D
good ol second gen!
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