"Tank" my 91 Crew Cab Dually

hacked89

Full Access Member
Joined
May 30, 2018
Posts
1,738
Reaction score
2,328
Location
Bucks County PA
Happy Sunday folks,

Put the old seat back in today. Drove to town this morning and it was just awful with the height of the other seat.

Here's a better picture showing how bad the original seat is. Notice the difference in the padding from one side to the other.

You must be registered for see images attach


Definitely liking the looks of the ATs on the truck better than the HT tires I have on the other side LOL

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach


I straightened out the tweaked front bumper that was bugging me. I'm considering putting the push bumper off the parts truck on but haven't made up my mind yet.... Thoughts?

You must be registered for see images attach
AT tires look good, what are you planning on pushing?
 

chillman88

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2017
Posts
6,022
Reaction score
6,152
Location
Central NY
My new valley pan showed up a couple days ago and I tossed this frame on the trailer yesterday. Today I started stripping stuff off it.

You must be registered for see images attach


Got the skid plates, fuel tank, exhaust, wiring, fuel lines etc all pulled off. Still have a few things on the front to yank off before I rip the axles back out and take it to work with me.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach


I'm debating removing the overload brackets and the shock mounts from the frame. They seem to be holding a lot of gunk that I'll want to get cleaned out before I coat everything.

You must be registered for see images attach


I'm still debating painting it versus getting it galvanized. Mainly because of the nooks and crannies that I won't be able to get to with paint that galvanizing will get.

Now THAT'S how you make a body mount! LOL LOL
You must be registered for see images attach
 

chillman88

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2017
Posts
6,022
Reaction score
6,152
Location
Central NY
Galvanized sounds interesting. How would that be done, dipped?

Yessir, dipped. Has to be blasted to remove all the paint and any thick rust. Then they acid dip it to prep the metal before dipping it in the zinc solution.

The exact same process they use on guard rails along the side of the road.
 

david85

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Posts
4,820
Reaction score
1,083
Location
Campbell River, B.C.
I had plans to galvanize the frame on my truck during the restoration but ran out of time. I settled on undercoating and fluidfilm just so I could reassemble ASAP. My ultimate plan was to get a donor frame and box the front half of my frame. But, I had to draw the line somewhere (maybe in another 10 years I'll do a frame swap LOL).

Your frame looks to be in decent shape. Not much grease or undercoating so it should clean up nice after sand blasting. Places between brackets might be a problem if rust is swelling between flanges but that's usually a problem at the rear half. The nice thing about galvanic protection is that it will protect nearby metal that is not coated. No paint coating can do this.

You can coat a frame with lots of different things but nothing is as good as hot dipped galvanizing.
 

chillman88

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2017
Posts
6,022
Reaction score
6,152
Location
Central NY
My ultimate plan was to get a donor frame and box the front half of my frame.

Was there a reason for this or was is just because that front section of the 4wd frames is boxed from the factory? This is a factory 4wd frame. Is there something I should be aware of?

Your frame looks to be in decent shape. Not much grease or undercoating so it should clean up nice after sand blasting. Places between brackets might be a problem if rust is swelling between flanges but that's usually a problem at the rear half. The nice thing about galvanic protection is that it will protect nearby metal that is not coated. No paint coating can do this.

Yes this frame was "imported" from Texas so it's nice and clean to start with. I've seen where these like to rot out and the worst places are those hidden places behind the brackets where everything collects and can't get out.... This frame might be a little rusty for Texas, but it's in better shape than a 5 year old NY frame LOL

I would LIKE to paint over the galvanizing for even more protection, but I don't know if I'll go that far or not. They're booked out until next year anyway and I don't even have it ready lol.
 

david85

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Posts
4,820
Reaction score
1,083
Location
Campbell River, B.C.
Was there a reason for this or was is just because that front section of the 4wd frames is boxed from the factory? This is a factory 4wd frame. Is there something I should be aware of?
No, nothing like that. I just liked the idea of being able to make the frame stiffer to reduce twist when off road. I know these trucks are meant to flex and twist but I've also seen what can happen when they flex too far. Cab mounts and firewall seams start to crack and rip. Although, in those examples, they were always forest service crew cab trucks (1991-1997 era) that had been absolutely beat on. I suspect this is might be one reason why ford never offered a factory 4wd crewcab dually until the superduty series appeared at the turn of the century. I could be wrong though.

From everything I've seen, frame flex seems to actually be beneficial to the frame, but may stress the body. Other than a rust hole behind one of the rear shock brackets, my frame was perfectly sound when I stripped the truck down. No cracks or loose rivets were found. I'm spending more time off road now so we'll see if that changes.
 

chillman88

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2017
Posts
6,022
Reaction score
6,152
Location
Central NY
In case anyone is curious, a bare crew cab 4x4 frame weights roughly #600

You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
 

chillman88

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2017
Posts
6,022
Reaction score
6,152
Location
Central NY
Cleaning up some old welds from whatever bumper was welded on in the past. Then the worn down spots in the frame were filled in and ground flush. Might not be perfect, but it's perfect enough for me. The guy who welded it has been welding longer than I've been alive.

You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
 

chillman88

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2017
Posts
6,022
Reaction score
6,152
Location
Central NY
Picking away a little bit today. Cut off the homemade gooseneck hitch and ground off the "Huck rivet" at the frame joint below the steering gear. It was loose enough to wiggle it by hand so it definitely needs to be dealt with. Factory procedure is replace with a bolt, either 9/16 or 5/8 as needed so this will be getting a 5/8 bolt.

You must be registered for see images attach
 

chillman88

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2017
Posts
6,022
Reaction score
6,152
Location
Central NY
Degreased the frame as thoroughly as I was able. Still a couple very stubborn spots but I'll hit them with brake cleaner before getting it blasted.

You must be registered for see images attach


I was able to get the dirt out of the overload spring brackets with the pressure washer, then get the rocks poked out and rinse it out good. They were PACKED with mud and are one of the few spots with any mentionable rust on this frame. Now that they're cleaned out I'm not worried about them since the galvanizing will get in there and coat everything.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach


I was able to wash the dirt out of the shock mounts too. I'm tempted to drill a drain hole in them as preventative maintenance. I was thinking about removing them but I was able to wash them sufficiently.

You must be registered for see images attach


Very little left to do. I have to put the bolt in where that rivet was, I already have it, just need to do it. Then minor touches before blasting.

Galvanizing is $0.625/lb so that puts me right around the $400 mark. The guy at work offered to paint it afterwards too so maybe. At this rate I'll be looking for a spare cab because this frame will outlive me LOL

I'd rather do this though so I have nothing to worry about down the road. An ounce of prevention and whatnot.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
91,217
Posts
1,128,480
Members
24,045
Latest member
Ramtough01
Top