Frame repair question (4 Viewers)

[ranchdawg]

I’ve looked around for answers, but not finding a lot to look at. Here’s my issue. The drivers side front frame rail forward of the crossmember is bent pretty good; twisted and canted. The shackle doesn’t sit flush against eye when installed and heating and beating isn’t going to work.

I sourced a new piece of frame, and I’m looking for input on installation. My initial thought was just using the section forward of the shock tower, but the guy I bought it from suggested going further back. The photo below is my frame, but the photo shows the length of the piece I bought (forward of the red arrows). Let me know what you think.

 

[Wasatch Jay]

Maybe I'm missing something, but it doesn't look that bad to me.

Rather than cutting and welding the frame, which I think would involve fish plating the repair (which makes it obvious the frame was repaired) why not take the frame to a shop with a frame rack and have it professionally straightened? There are very skilled people who do that, and achieve great results.

My impression, FWIW, is you're going to a fair amount of trouble with your project and presumably your objectives are to have a nice rig, functionally and cosmetically when your done. An obviously repaired frame is like a permanent black eye.

My opinion only... obviously.

(I tend to be very picky, so take what I say with a healthy grain of salt. )

 

[ranchdawg]

I appreciate the feedback. It does looks worse in person. Here’s a couple more pics.

Whomever had it before me did a number on it. The mounting area for the center arm was puckered and the front of my old crossmember was damaged and covered with a plate. The other side was bent as well, but not nearly as bad.

I think all the damage in a such a short run of metal would be challenging for someone to straighten (in my very unprofessional opinion). I’m not turning this into a show car, I just fell head first into the rabbit hole.

 

[brian]

Have measured your frame for square using the fsm?

 

[ranchdawg]

Have measured your frame for square using the fsm?

I have, and it’s wide, though not by much. It’s the hanger below that’s all contorted and giving issues. I mean, I can hook up the springs, but these new shackles (terrain tamer) don’t cinch up completely. It wasn’t as noticeable with the old Confer shackles and those bolts are a lot beefier.

 

[brian]

Then I would just get the hanger straighter vs cutting the frame up.

 

[craptabulous]

Brace them together , apply heat and pull it in with a 1.5 tonne come along and beat on the outside with a sledge. Thats fixable . I would fish plate the entire outside when done

 

[65swb45]

What does it look like under the coverplate of the crossmember? I wouldn’t make the effort to try and save the original left framerail without knowing that.

 

[Wasatch Jay]

I saw in the first post's photos that the front crossmember has been replaced (from the factory they are installed with rivets and the replacement is bolted).

Honestly, even with the speed square photos, it really isn't that bad.

Again, it's just my opinion, but other than your time and some gas money it wouldn't cost you anything to get a professional opinion on the best way to address the issues.

Frame straightening racks typically have all kinds of specialized accessory tools for different tasks, and they have serious pulling power. That power can be applied slowly, and in different angles to get a really good result.

This has nothing to do with FJ40s, but one of my other passions are Tucker Sno-Cats and a very good friend and I work on these together. They have a truss frame made from 2" square tubing, and two of our project snowcats have had frames bent about 3/4". We were able to straighten them to pretty darn close. That said, it's my friend who possesses the skill and talent , not me.

I genuinely believe it can be fixed.

In my first post I confessed to being very picky. I'll also confess to being absolutely world-class at project creep. A relatively simple task gets hit with "Well, while I'm at it, why don't I address this" ... and it goes downhill from there. (I suspect more than a few on this forum are similarly afflicted.)

 

[ranchdawg]

What does it look like under the coverplate of the crossmember? I wouldn’t make the effort to try and save the original left framerail without knowing that.

I replaced the crossmember with a new one. It was just after trying on the new springs I saw how much the shackle was torqued.

 

[LakeLaurashawn]

Sounds like you acquired a frame to cut up and use some pieces from - why not just use that entire frame? There are a lot of 'parting out' or frames available and if your are down to that level build up a clean one. Likely the same cost to repair / bend / weld / etc yours

 

[65swb45]

I replaced the crossmember with a new one. It was just after trying on the new springs I saw how much the shackle was torqued.

I didn’t notice that the crossmember had already been changed. That was a boatload of work right there.

With that in mind, I would vote to straighten what you have. Specifically, if it were my frame, I would cut a large oval out of the outside vertical, say about 6” long, straighten the top and bottom while they are not restricted by the vertical.

Then I would get a piece of 2” angle iron to use as a brace and straight edge. I would bevel the outside corner of the angle iron until it matched the inside radius of the frame. Relief cut it to fit behind the center arm support and match the angle where it meets the crossmember.

Weld it into the bottom of the frame, as well as the part showing in the oval, and to the crossmember, as all the stress to the frame comes upwards from the suspension.

Then I would cut the same oval of flat, unstressed metal out of the replacement frame and weld that one piece into your frame, making sure to make it smaller enough to lay down a bead on both the angle iron and the existing framerail.

 

[ranchdawg]

Sounds like you acquired a frame to cut up and use some pieces from - why not just use that entire frame? There are a lot of 'parting out' or frames available and if your are down to that level build up a clean one. Likely the same cost to repair / bend / weld / etc yours

No, I visited a guy with a donor frame and took a piece. My frame is in pretty good shape with the exception of the front left.

 

[pb4ugo]

I had to replace my crossmember and rebuild that section of the frame rail years ago. The PO hacked sag p/s by cutting a huge hole in the crossmember for the steering box. The frame rail evetually cracked at the crossmember and would no longer support the suspension. Where the crossmember meets the frame rail is a designed high flex area. It didn't completely tear off. I positioned the frame rail in place and welded it up. I then scabbed the frame using 1/4" plate and cut it so it contoured the side of the frame all the way back to the fender bracket. Then scabbed plate on the top, bottom and inside part of the exposed frt frame rail. I made sure I didn't weld the crossmember to the frame rail. My heavy winch bumper helps to support that section of frame rail too.

The frame's not that thick, you should be able the straighten it and get it close using heavy angle iron as a dolly and clamp to rails and beat it to submission, and make or use tools to twist things around.

 

[steffan]

Im thinking the same thing - doesn’t look that bad. With a good torch, you could easily heat it up and get it perfectly straight