keithw1975

I was trying to tow my dad this evening and pulled off along side of a highway straight into a hidden 5 foot cement drainage culvert. Got the truck out without any damage other than broken sway bar mounts but the tow guy ripped out the hole in the frame he hooked to. I was wanting to just grind it down and put some steel plate on it but I had heard that welding to the frame was bad for some reason. Can anyone tell me if this is true and why if it is?

The frame on my truck sure seems like soft steel.

Keith

mx684

i wouldnt think twice about welding on a frame. iv done it many times with no problems..just be sure to unhook the batterys first..

Clayten

Make sure the metal you are going to use is the same thickness as the frame. Welding on frames depends on where in the frame you are welding. In the middle is probably the worst place to have to weld, near the ends is less of a problem.Try not to have any square corners on the piece you are welding to the frame.

keithw1975

This is right under the passenger side door. I was wanting to weld on some 3/4" plate that was about 3 feet long. Thanks for the info so far guys.

Deezel Nate

3/4" plate!

mvanhelden

Just be careful and not weld the plate over any of the acces holes for the trans crossmember ect. I did the clutch in a friends truck and someone welded brakets for side steps right over them!

Clayten

Don't use 3/4 inch plate. It will make the frame very rigid as it is thicker than the frame material. This will make the frame tend to crack at the ends of the 3/4

Wicked500R

I would not weld in that location. The heat from welding weakens the frame rails and can also warp them. The proper fix would be to sister plate it with uhmmm 1/4" thick x the width of the rail. Drill 1/2" or 5/8" holes and use grade 8 hardware..Alot of work but that is the way I would do it.

keithw1975

Ok. I sure hate drilling more holes in my frame. I was thinking of adding some underbelly plate at the same time to protect stuff from whatever I run over or get hung up on in the future. Maybe something bolted to the in a u-shape that bolts on the both frame rails from the transmission skid plate back to the rear axle. I would have to cut out a slot for the drive shaft but I think that might reduce body twist as well as give me some weight down low to the ground. My truck twists so badly that it rubs the paint off the door jams when parked on uneven ground.

Keith

mx684

as long as you are somewhat experienced at welding you should have no problems with overheating and warping anything...if you havent really welded much and dont know much about it, then in that case it probably would be better to bolt on a plate..

afoulk

I've repaired frame rail cracks on big rigs before by welding and never had a problem. As long as you don't weld on the frame flanges (the top and bottom of the "c" channel) you should be ok.