Can this frame be repaired?
- Thread starter azcat90
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Millerad1651
New member
Yes, with fire. Then you get money from insurance. Other than that, it's toast. The rust you see if just the tip of the iceberg once it's gotten that bad.
ChildrenOfBodom
Moderator
Holy cow!
azcat90
New member
Thanks - that's what I am hoping for... Its a 97 with 277K miles on it so my minimum liability insurance would not cover uh.. mayhem.
M-Piers97
New member
I would call around and get some quotes from welders and stuff, a local body shop did mine and like i said as long as there is still some good steel under the rust your in good shape. Good luck
azcat90
New member
Will do, thanks! I'm hopeful - my frame is not near as rusted as yours was...
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BlackCat914
New member
Lol, that's terrible advice.
PitbullRescuer
New member
Hard to judge just off that one picture. It can be fixed, sure. But you might just be delaying the inevitable. Give the rest of it a really good looking over before you invest any time or money into fixing it. With it being that bad, I'd be willing to bet you have other spots that are rotted through as well.
541joseph
New member
BlackCat914
New member
What advice would be worse than telling someone they need to replace their entire frame when a welder could fix that fairly easily?
Nelsonmd
New member
Uh, I'd be very hesitant to just weld it back together and call it a day. Millerad is correct, if it's rusted through that badly there, then you are certain to have similar levels of rust elsewhere on the frame, and it is just waiting to fall apart.
And $150 is not going to do it... That guy must have been welding for crack money to do that work for that much. No self respecting welder will take that rusty frame and just weld that thing back together like that and let you drive away.
AZ cat, you need to seriously inspect the rest of the frame, from the front wheels all the way to the rear, including looking inside the rails. Better yet, pay a good welder or a good mechanic $50-100 to inspect it closely. It will be worth the money to have an educated opinion on the viability of that frame. And start emotionally preparing yourself to have to straight up send that thing to the junkyard, because you very well may need to let it go if there is indeed that kind of rust on other places too.
And this warning is coming from someone who has I think one of the bigger rust resurrections on this forum. See the link in my sig for that. I would probably junk that thing. It's at nearly 300k miles, it's had a good life.
Worse advice would be telling him he can weld it back together on the cheap only to have the other side break off 100 miles later on the highway killing his family, or hitting another car. I'm not saying that WILL happen, but it is not far fetched to think that he will have similar levels of rust in other key areas of the frame, and therefore near the breaking point. And that thing breaking off at highway speed could very well cause a severe crash.
And $150 is not going to do it... That guy must have been welding for crack money to do that work for that much. No self respecting welder will take that rusty frame and just weld that thing back together like that and let you drive away.
AZ cat, you need to seriously inspect the rest of the frame, from the front wheels all the way to the rear, including looking inside the rails. Better yet, pay a good welder or a good mechanic $50-100 to inspect it closely. It will be worth the money to have an educated opinion on the viability of that frame. And start emotionally preparing yourself to have to straight up send that thing to the junkyard, because you very well may need to let it go if there is indeed that kind of rust on other places too.
And this warning is coming from someone who has I think one of the bigger rust resurrections on this forum. See the link in my sig for that. I would probably junk that thing. It's at nearly 300k miles, it's had a good life.
Worse advice would be telling him he can weld it back together on the cheap only to have the other side break off 100 miles later on the highway killing his family, or hitting another car. I'm not saying that WILL happen, but it is not far fetched to think that he will have similar levels of rust in other key areas of the frame, and therefore near the breaking point. And that thing breaking off at highway speed could very well cause a severe crash.
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That isn't an easy fix and like was mentioned above, if it's that bad it's toast. The time and effort to repair the frame properly and have the truck drive straight again might not be worth it, especially if you wheel the truck farther than the dirt lot next to the mall.
The OP'ers picture looks like the weld failed where as the following bracket failure looks to be extreme rust.
To the OP. If the frame still looks intact, no holes or rust, it might be worth having that section of the frame cleaned and reinforced. If the bracket is also in good shape some material could be taken off, reinforced and welded back to the frame. If the bracket is gone one could be made (i've seen a few) but it's not a cheap fix.
yes it can
If the rest of your rig still has life in it a reputable welder can fix any steel frame frame. All it will take is time and $. I would caution you to be leary of any "welder" that grabs his mig and tries to bublegum it back togeather rust and all. It looks to me like a section of the bottom chord has failed as well. that will have to be done before the link bracket is welded on.
I have repaired many heavy equipment frames in the past, automotive are no different just made from lighter gauge material.
good luck
If the rest of your rig still has life in it a reputable welder can fix any steel frame frame. All it will take is time and $. I would caution you to be leary of any "welder" that grabs his mig and tries to bublegum it back togeather rust and all. It looks to me like a section of the bottom chord has failed as well. that will have to be done before the link bracket is welded on.
I have repaired many heavy equipment frames in the past, automotive are no different just made from lighter gauge material.
good luck
BlackCat914
New member
It's not that easy of a fix? As someone who welds daily, that repair is a breeze. In addition, a factory lower control arm doesn't have any adjustment, so getting it lined up and straight isn't really rocket science. I'll stand by my previous comment that it can be repaired without much worry, although I figured a pretty thorough frame inspection would have been common sense. That's a VERY common failure point on these trucks.
Nelsonmd
New member
As an automotive mechanical engineer, sorry, it's not just an easy fix. It can be welded back together pretty easy yes, but that doesn't mean the frame is "fixed". Sure if you assume that a thorough frame inspection and follow-up weld fab to fix any other rusted parts of the frame is part of the deal, then ok, it may be a "straightforward" fix, but I doubt any welder or mechanic is willing to take the time that would be necessary to properly inspect and fix the entire frame, and the cost to do all that would be extremely high. It certainly isn't "a breeze", and I doubt a reputable welder would take on the liability of such a thing.
Bottom line is, OP, if you are a layman and not in some way certified to evaluate the stress and strains involved here (like a master welder, engineer, etc.) then you will have to trust someone else's judgement on whether your vehicle will be safe. No good certified mechanic or welder will sign off on repairing that frame and take on the liability for their repair, at least not without spending more money than the vehicle is worth to inspect and fix the entire frame. If they aren't willing to take on the liability of their repair, then they aren't confident that it will hold, meaning it may not be safe. That's it. If you take your life into your own hands, then you better be sure that you are able to understanding and evaluating the risk yourself.
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IBallEngineer
New member
I'm not a metallurgist, or even a certified welder, but I have a pretty firm grasp on fixing this sort of thing.
[MENTION=84346]BlackCat914[/MENTION] As someone who welds everyday you must be pretty familiar with the stress the actual welding puts on the original part right? 30+ years in the collision industry showed me that the highest probability for failure in this sort of repair becomes the areas immediately adjacent to the weld.
I'm not saying it can't be done, but if it is done, it should be a temporary repair, in lieu of replacement.
eace:BlackCat914
New member
Never once did I say that it was an end all be all solution. Will it more than likely be ok? Sure. For how long? Who knows. Does it beat junking the truck and getting something new? In my opinion, yes. Are there several people here who have done this same repair in the past and been more than fine? Absolutely. If I were a betting man, and I knew the rest of the frame was decent, I'd sure as shit weld that sucker back up. If it was an 8 second drag car or a full on expedition vehicle I'd be singing a different tune. But a light truck that probably only sees street use, I'd have no problems making that repair fairly confidently, assuming everything else was ok. As a tech, there's a million more cars I've seen that I would be more leary of being on the road vs. a old toyota truck with a fairly tried and true frame repair. I mean come on, it's not like we're talking about cutting a car in two pieces and welding it back together to make one here.I'm not a metallurgist, or even a certified welder, but I have a pretty firm grasp on fixing this sort of thing.
[MENTION=84346]BlackCat914[/MENTION] As someone who welds everyday you must be pretty familiar with the stress the actual welding puts on the original part right? 30+ years in the collision industry showed me that the highest probability for failure in this sort of repair becomes the areas immediately adjacent to the weld.
I'm not saying it can't be done, but if it is done, it should be a temporary repair, in lieu of replacement.
