Fixing holes on frame?

[celeryman22]

I'm looking for a section of frame rail I have a few localized holes in the frame side rail. Whats the easiest way to fix them? I was going to chop out the section and replace it bt im not sure I want to pay 150.00 for a 6" section of side rail. Any ideas?

Thanks
MIke

 

[Mac]

It depends on your level of welding expertise and what you're looking for- strength, beauty or a combination thereof.

I've seen guys fabricate sections of frame from sheet; not pretty but strong and cheap. I've also seen frames sectioned and/or repaired. In some cases, it would be next to impossible to tell the frame was ever worked on.

It might also depend on just how localized your holes are. You need to have solid metal to weld onto. You won't know until you do some cutting and see how solid the surrounding metal remains. Will a simple patch may suffice? Sectioning isn't easy since you must keep the frame straight in order to avoid changing the geometry.

-Mac

 

[celeryman22]

Well, im pretty good at welding. And if I could get my hands on a 6" piece side rail I know I could cut out the bad section (inside section near rear frame gusset) and weld in a new section. I don't want to simply weld a patch on it. Do you guys think a corvette scrape yard would have a section I could buy? And if so are there any good ones?

mike

 

[Red69]

celeryman, I repaired a small section of frame and it wasn't too difficult. For some reason the outer side seems to rust more than the inner as does the end plate in front of the rear tire. Lets say your outer side and end cap has holes and you want to replace the bad pieces. You will notice the frame rail box is welded together at the bottom. I simply ground off the welds at the bottom and cut out the rusted outer section along the outer top edge and side using a cutoff wheel on a 4 inch grinder. In my case the inside and top of the box frame were in good condition, so only the section outside the bottom weld and end cap were removed. I did this with the body off, so there was no problem with the remaining section holding everything straight.

I made the replacement outer L-shaped section, end cap and inner frame support out of 3/16 plate. The section I replaced was about the last 9 inches. If your frame is riddled with rust, best to replace it. Anyhoo, I made a template of the section to be replaced, be sure to provide for overlap at the bottom, and cut it out of the plate. I tacked a 1 inch wide backer of 1/8 for the side weld to the frame first. This guaranteed a good solid weld to the new section. After making the first bend in the 3/16ths plate, I moved it into place and welded in the bottom only. With the side open there was plenty of room to weld the inner support in place.

Before I continued to make the necessary bends in the 3/16ths plate to complete the new frame section I needed to make the end cap and tack it in place. It kept the space correct as I bent the new 3/16ths section. I just heated the linear area to be bent on the new section cherry and hammered it into position and welded it to the main frame. The inner frame support was finished by welding it to the outer section through the two 3/16ths holes previously drilled. Last, finish welding in the new end cap and you are done. Note: the elongated hole in the frame where the side exhaust mounts also needs to be drilled if you are planning on side mount exhaust.

 

[Mac]

There's a good wrecking yard just outside of Kamloops, BC which can likely supply what you want. http://www.specialtyholdingsltd.com/

-Mac

 

[geopar]

Red69---- When will you be in the Central Texas area? Your services are needed!!! I have a nice '68 BB that has one end cap area in need of this repair. If you are ever coming this way for a few days, or could be "talked into coming$$$$" please contact me.

c,eleryman, I repaired a small section of frame and it wasn't too difficult. For some reason the outer side seems to rust more than the inner as does the end plate in front of the rear tire. Lets say your outer side and end cap has holes and you want to replace the bad pieces. You will notice the frame rail box is welded together at the bottom. I simply ground off the welds at the bottom and cut out the rusted outer section along the outer top edge and side using a cutoff wheel on a 4 inch grinder. In my case the inside and top of the box frame were in good condition, so only the section outside the bottom weld and end cap were removed. I did this with the body off, so there was no problem with the remaining section holding everything straight.

I made the replacement outer L-shaped section, end cap and inner frame support out of 3/16 plate. The section I replaced was about the last 9 inches. If your frame is riddled with rust, best to replace it. Anyhoo, I made a template of the section to be replaced, be sure to provide for overlap at the bottom, and cut it out of the plate. I tacked a 1 inch wide backer of 1/8 for the side weld to the frame first. This guaranteed a good solid weld to the new section. After making the first bend in the 3/16ths plate, I moved it into place and welded in the bottom only. With the side open there was plenty of room to weld the inner support in place.

Before I continued to make the necessary bends in the 3/16ths plate to complete the new frame section I needed to make the end cap and tack it in place. It kept the space correct as I bent the new 3/16ths section. I just heated the linear area to be bent on the new section cherry and hammered it into position and welded it to the main frame. The inner frame support was finished by welding it to the outer section through the two 3/16ths holes previously drilled. Last, finish welding in the new end cap and you are done. Note: the elongated hole in the frame where the side exhaust mounts also needs to be drilled if you are planning on side mount exhaust.

 

[Red69]

geopar, I am just a weekend warrior who does the best he can on a tight budget. A Craftsman AC stick welder and oxy-acetelene torch has saved me much $$ and enabled me to complete many projects over my 55 years. If you were in my neighborhood I'd drop by and help you out, but Central Florida ain't even close. If all you have is a small hole at the bottom of your end cap it is just cosmetic and doesn't need replacing, just repairing. Open the rust hole up to good metal with a rotary file in an electric drill or die grinder. Try to make the hole square, say 1 inch if it brings you to good metal. Now, make a new repair patch to be welded into the square hole you created. You will need to clean the surrounding area to clean metal with a sanding disk. Take your prepared frame and patch to a welder, it won't take him 5 minutes to weld it in. Of course, you will need to remove the rear wheel first. BTW, you have collected some nice vehicles, that must be some garage.