Frame horn repair?

J-Pipes

J-Pipes

Active member
Need to do something with my front frame horns, drivers side in particular. The sway bar has come loose, and makes the truck worse than normal to drive! Anyone ever repair these? Anything special need done, or just cut out the bad and fit new pieces and weld solid?
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You could cut it back to where its good. Find another truck with a good one, cut the corners so it slides onto your frame, weld er up. Make sure it over laps plenty. Id bet your truck has a crack starting by the front leaf spring perch too.
 
I cut out to clean metal, and capped what was left. Didn’t worry about making it look factory.
Mine wasn’t quite into the sway bar yet, so that may complicate things.
 
Good Lord that's terrible. I can't imagine living in an area where rust is that big of an issue.
 
Yeah, I didn't realize it was quite that bad. I'll have to crawl over the rest of the frame, before I get too involved, but last I looked, it was just basic surface rust on the rest of it. On the extreme end of cutting it completely and welding in a piece of a clean frame, do only 2500/3500 frames work? Have to be 4x4? The part that worries me is how close it looks to be to the steering box.

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#1, sell truck to flat bill kid after you add hood stack.

#2, MOVE out of the rust belt!

#3, buy a truck NOT from the rust belt...

#4, you’re gonna stay there so use stainless hardware after you find some actual steel to weld to....

I need a tetanus shot just seeing that picture! I’ll send you my copay bill.....
 
Think I may try looking for "rust free" part out trucks, see if maybe I can get the frame horns, just cut more than I really need, and then trim it all to fit, weld, probably add little fishplates where they may fit for extra strength.

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smokinVE said:
#4, you’re gonna stay there so use stainless hardware after you find some actual steel to weld to....
Click to expand...

Just for reference, putting stainless fasteners in there will make the mild steel rust. Look up galvanic corrosion. You want some good zinc plated fasteners, then coat the whole thing in some decent paint!
 
Another thought, with the proximity to the steering box, should I be worried about driving until it's fixed?

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I would beat on the frame by where it connects to the steering box with a BFH and a punch, if it feels solid then you are OK, it if pops through I would stop driving it till fixed.
 
Did some light poking with a little pry bar, here are the results. Within 1/2" of the steering box, could probably get to it with a hammer! So, looks like I'm NOT driving it for a while.
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I would be tempted to massage and work a piece of 3/16 carbon steel in the somewhat shape needed to cover that area. Remove the steering box, sway bar, fender, radiator and other coolers. Cut out the bad rust spots, sand blast the rest, prime the entire area, and start shaping the metal. Once finished shaping, fully seal weld the patch, primer, paint entire area. I’d be very meticulous with the cleaning and liberal with the paint.

It won’t be perfect, but would hold for a very long time if done correctly.
 
Red Sleeper said:
I would be tempted to massage and work a piece of 3/16 carbon steel in the somewhat shape needed to cover that area. Remove the steering box, sway bar, fender, radiator and other coolers. Cut out the bad rust spots, sand blast the rest, prime the entire area, and start shaping the metal. Once finished shaping, fully seal weld the patch, primer, paint entire area. I’d be very meticulous with the cleaning and liberal with the paint.

It won’t be perfect, but would hold for a very long time if done correctly.
Click to expand...
Yeah, pretty much one of the routes I've been thinking, only was considering 1/8" steel, as the frame itself isn't very thick, and itd be a little easier to shape. Only other thing I can come up with is try to find a clean wrecked truck or something, and cut out that whole end of the frame and replace.

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Personally, I'd replace the entire frame or find another truck and part out that one. Thats cancer and it's only going to spread. You fix one section, and a year later there will be another hole…maybe someplace just as bad. Once you're sorted out, get a cheap spray bottle and fill it with used oil and spray the chassis often. Paint is temporary, oil is the only known stuff that stops rust from spreading.

Ed
 
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