Cracked frame! Should we part it out?

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Well while changing the power steering pump, steering box, and PS lines today I noticed the frame is cracked on my moms 94 CC. The crack runs all the way along the bottom side of the outer frame rail. This is in the area where they have the full box frame at the front, just behind the back of the steering box.
By the looks of it I can see where at some point some idiot put a press or something on the frame there and just pressed so hard it crushed the bottom of the frame. My best guess would be that TO HAAS TIRE, the last shop to work on rebuilding the front suspension on that truck did it for some reason. To bad its been almost 3 years since they did the work and there's no recourse on it now.
What should we do about it? Im afraid with the stress of going offroad for getting wood, that some day it will crack all the way around the frame up there.
Is it fixable or is the truck scrap now?

 

[NCheek]

I wouldn't condemn it just yet. Post some pics and let the powers-that-be have a look at it, it might be weldable.

 

[david85]

Can you post some pictures of the damage?

As a wielder I would not hesitate to try and repair damage to the frame on my truck, but I should see what you are dealing with before I put my foot in my mouth.

 

[69dieselfreak]

fish plate the crack i wouldnt scrap the thing

 

[zukinut]

when you fishplate the crack, make the fishplate come to a point, not a square piece. helps reduce the stress of the plate, etc.

Post up some pics.

Will

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

I'll get a pic tomorrow if my mom doesnt drive it.

 

[RKOCH]

I welded several cracked like that you can repair it.

 

[tonkadoctor]

Cracked frames are repairable. Post pics.

 

[MUDKICKR]

i would scrap it and sell me the turbo. but thats just me

 

[sassyrel]

i would scrap it and sell me the turbo. but thats just me

as a weilder--never heard of one of them!!!! its weldable---if by a mig--use 90,000 tensile wire--as a frame aint just cold roll steel--and, id weld it a inch at a time to keep the heat down--

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

In the mean time should I drill a hole at the end of the crack?

 

[david85]

Don't know the exact grade of steel that was used in ford frames of that era, but from what little I have hacked on my trucks it seems to just be mild steel and is quite soft. Ford only started bragging about high strength steel when the 09 F150 was announced.

I don't think drilling a hole will do anything. Not driving it would be a better way to prevent damage from spreading.

I agree about wielding in one inch increments. Start 1-3" away from the previous wield stop and move back. Stitching like this will help reduce deflection instead of just wielding in one direction non stop.

 

[tonkadoctor]

as a weilder--never heard of one of them!!!! its weldable---if by a mig--use 90,000 tensile wire--as a frame aint just cold roll steel--and, id weld it a inch at a time to keep the heat down--

Nope, not cold rolled........ It's cold drawn

This ain't a semi truck with an 80000-90000 psi rated frame.

Light duty Ford trucks have 36,000 psi low carbon steel frames. As near as I can find out from Ford body builders publications is it's probably 1017 steel which is a soft cold drawn steel (could be hot rolled too) very similar to A36 hot roll, A500 and A512 structural steel but with a lower PSI rating than these.

Ain't nothing special about it....... Except it was prolly the cheapest lightest duty steel they could get away with.

ER70s mig wire or 7018 stick (both 70,000 psi) is way more than plenty. Both are twice as strong as the frame itself done right.

 

[icanfixall]

ER70s is what I would use and preheat it just to get the moisture out of it. Say maybe 250 degrees. Tig is a very good way to weld it or if you can mig it then do that. I wish we lived closer. I would do it tig just for doing it. I really enjoy that type of welding...

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

My dad calls 7018 rod "pretty rod". lol Because it leaves a nice fancy pretty looking bead.