The Ol' Girl Has Cracked (1 Viewer)

[pappy]

It was a sad day on Tuesday. After a few days with High Desert Cruisers running a section of the AZ Backcountry Discovery Route I decided to give my girl some love. So, I fired up the air compressor to make sure her shoes were hard enough. As I was filling the front driver's tire I saw this:

My heart sank, and I'm pretty sure I got a little misty … though I would never admit it for real. Then I started looking more, and found this on the inside and bottom:

Frankly, I'm glad I made it home instead of the morgue. Crack was between the steering box and the shock tower.

After I stopped sobbing, and dried my eyes, it was time to form a plan to fix the old girl's limb. Step one, jack up the truck, pull the tire, jackstand the frame, and drop the axle to remove the weight from the frame. Next was the grinder to clean it up. Then, weld up the crack as best as I could.

Now, I ain't no fool. This effort only made me feel better. It made me feel like I was making a difference. It made me feel like I deserved a bouquet of balloons. The reality was, this was not a fix. So, step two. Contact a buddy who is a much better welder than I. A date was set, and surgery was scheduled for today at 10am.

While I waited, I cut a piece of steel out to be melted over the crack. I was going to "splint" this frame. The only issue is the frame is gusseted on the outside only. Ya, the inside and bottom were melted together as best I could. But, the inside was going to have to wait until I pull the engine for the 3RZ. In the mean time, I'm very pleased, and confidant it ain't coming apart anytime soon.

 

[yotadude520]

Sheesh pappy..close call there. Not going to lie even my heart sank when I saw that crack! What a doozy.

Glad you got her all fixed up and trail worthy again...and next time you're in AZ let me know!

 

[joseywales]

Wowzers! That’s scary! I had a similar luck catch years ago. Makes you think what might have been if you didn’t catch it!

Luckily I caught it just before heading down a very narrow mountain highway with chasms of doom. My 3500 had a LOT of power, and I drove it like a sports car...

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Wow, good catch. Why would a no rust frame like that crack-hard use?

 

[hiluxjeremy]

Long term metal fatigue can do some strange things... Vibration and time. Notice the way the crack runs through that open hole. My best bet where it started is right there. May have been in the works for years if not decades. Luckily its a Toyota, not a space ship, these things can be fixed. More plating when possible, spread out the load, she'll come good.