welding truck frame?

[100hp honda]

seems like i heard somewhere you not soposed to weld vehicle frames. i know your not suposed to weld on heavy machinery frames, theres huge stickers in the cab that says that. but i called a body repair shop and they said they weld frames all the time, after a collision or what not. is it a old myth not to weld a truck frame?

[AlisoBob]

I've had allot of Semi's stretched into Dump's in my day.... Cant do it any other way then weld.

I've seen those stickers too..... Must be some kind of CYA thing....

[Exnav]

I'll guarantee you that there are a bunch of 73-87 GM 1/2 ton trucks out there that are welded where the steering box bolted to the frame.

[100hp honda]

yep i think every chevy made in those years the frame cracked there. im not a welder so i wont be welding my own shit but if i need to have something welded atleast it so8unds like theres no issues with welding a frame

[TJC510]

mine hasn't, yet. and im surprised it hasn't yet with teh stuff ive put it threw.
there are a few tricks to welding a frame so it doesn't crack or break along the weld when splicing the frame.

[icediver]

I have cut a few in half and welded them back together. Usually I will cut the frame in a step to provide a little more area to weld. I have also plated them afterwards on occasion, but not every time. Unibody vehicles get sections of the "frame" replaced all the time when involved in accidents. Full frame vehicles sometimes will get one frame rail replaced if the damage is too severe. Or you can just chuck it on a frame machine and pull until the holes line up. Ins. companies really dont care what the frame looks like, as long as all the mounting points line up and the outside looks good.

In my area, there is more than one long bed converted to a shortbed kicking around. I also have seen some pretty scary looking chop and welds that seemed to hold up fine.

Weld away!

[dannygraves]

I'll guarantee you that there are a bunch of 73-87 GM 1/2 ton trucks out there that are welded where the steering box bolted to the frame.

Yeah, or in the case of my '82, the upper front shock mounts...driving around without a front driver side shock is a little weird Looks like I'm gonna bust out the ol' trusty wire feed on that one

[ouch360]

seems like i heard somewhere you not soposed to weld vehicle frames. i know your not suposed to weld on heavy machinery frames, theres huge stickers in the cab that says that. but i called a body repair shop and they said they weld frames all the time, after a collision or what not. is it a old myth not to weld a truck frame?

No its not a myth - Large equipment is made of a type of steel that is heat treated and can be negativly effected (strength) by the extreem heat of welding. Equipment like this have the frame removed and after welding/repairing/streaching/ other should be placed in an autoclave and taken to the correct treatment temp to temper the steel. However - vehicle frames on the normal truck that you see driving down the road are completely different (1/2, 3/4, 1 ton type trucks). Yes they are still heat treated, but the difference in treatment supports welding and customizing as long as it is done correctly. They are designed this was so we can avoid VERY expencive costs when having them fixed after a wreck. Also may of the new frams are stamped double wall steel. Its strong, light, and cheep to make. Welding on this type of frame can damage the double layer so care should be taken not to penetrate both layers. actually its best to bolt to this type of frame and avoid welding. As was said - Step cuts, or cross cut and square plated, work well. If you look up most of the Baja rules they have many very good welding "rules" that should be abided by in every job. But most of all - Call the service department of a dealer or even a body shop and see what they say about your exact vehicle before starting.

To see a truck I made check out - http://www.world4wd.org/PROJECTS.HTM - no thats not me in the picture - thats my Jeep I had to sell when I moved to Washington from New Mexico.

[100hp honda]

the reason i brought up welding a frame was this- many years ago when i bought my truck, i didnt notice at the time but later noticed someone had removed the motor, on the passenger side the exhaust manifold and exhaust pipe join right at the frame rail. instead of cutting the exhaust manifold bolt, the dumb focker that pulled the motor cut a notch out of the top frame rail. about 2 years ago i noticed it had a crack where they cut the frame and the crack was starting vertical down the frame rail. i sent it to a body shop to fix it, but they obviously had their best welder on vacation because when i got it back it looked like a 10yo kid patched up the crack. im going to send it to someone to fix it again, that actually knows how to focking weld