I went today and looked at a 76 Ram 300 Power Wagon(per the hood) Dually, with an International Diesel Conversion. It's a Fire Dept. Mini Pumper that they have up for sale. I was looking it over and the guy said it had a crack in the frame. I looked at it and a crack goes about half way up the frame rail on the side I could see easily. I was wondering how hard it would be to fix this problem... I was thinking you could just clean it up with a grinder, and weld it if it is only the one part. If not Cut a plate out of plate steel and weld a plate over a section of the frame. I am trying to figure out what kind of money I should pay or shouldn't pay for this truck. It is sweet less the cracked frame. Thanks for your comments in advance.

Thanks,
Brandon

 

i wouldn't just weld it but put a scab over it then weld it, i thought well in Washington it illegal to weld on a automotive frame.

 

I don't know the laws concerning that, but if it were my truck, I would grind down the crack, and weld that, then cut a plate and weld that into place.

Do you know if the frame is different between the 100 and the 300? I have 72 D100 that is probably going to the scrap yard if I don't get off my lazy butt and do something about it. If you are close, maybe we can cut a deal

Oh...PA...sorry

Good luck with it.

j

 

A good friend of mine, now passed away, that had a welding shop in town used to keep plates in stock to repair small Toyota pickup frames. They were "fish plates" cut at 45 degree angles to the frame. He would weld the frame and then put the plate over the weld, on both sides and then weld them in place. I've seen semi frames done the same way too change the wheel base, they've passed inspection on both sides of the border.

 

Whatever you do, do not weld the crack back together. Usually the metal is much thinner there than the rest of the frame and you will either burn right through it or if you can weld it, it will crack again. A friend of mine just had this happen to his truck. He tried welding the crack back together and did nothing but made it worse. This is how I fixed it for him.

Where it is cracked, we cut out his "weld" and put a plate on the bottom (using a bottle jack) and jacked it back up to help straighten out the frame. We added somejack stands in front of and behind the area we were fixing to help take off some of the weight.

We took a piece of 3/16" steel and cut it to fit around everything (his frame cracked where the torsion bars were) and had a good 8" of metal plate on either side of the crack. I then welded in the plate on every surface that I could. We then welded in the plate on the bottom and added some bolts in the good section for some added support. When we let it down it was stronger than the other side and we had to repair that side as well.

Where ever the crack is, drill a 1/4"-5/15" hole at the end of the crack. this will help to keep the crack from spreading. You will need to look into your state inspection laws to see if it is legal to have a "repaired frame" on the road. If you are, then depending on how back the frame is at the crack, you can decide if you want to repair it or not.

 

My only caution is that "just cause you can make a puddle, Dont MEAN ya can weld!!" Unless you really know how to weld, I'd look for a pro to do it. Other than that, I'm sure the patch will be as strong, or stronger than stock. Might wanna check the same place on the other side of the frame too.

 

My interpretation of the inspection law is that It can be welded, if done correctly. Your thoughts?

Quote:
"(ii) The repairs are made with tape, tar paper or cloth, or are made in another temporary
manner.
(iii) The frame components are missing, cracked, rotted or broken, or are in a deteriorated or dangerous condition."

Thanks for the good discussion guys! Keep it coming.

Brandon

 

From this I see they seem to differentiate between a damaged frame, needing repair. And a cancered-out frame, that is "un-serviceable". "Frame-Damage" happens in ALL collisions with the new uni-bodies. Are they all totaled? No. But the key is, "Is there something to weld to!?", in the case of older cars.

 

I see that seeing as it is two separate points in the code.

 

I would do what has been said, but I would also box that section just for the added insurance. Normally I would walk away from a damaged frame though.