Frame off Restoration?

[Irish_Alley]

frames flex where you weld or patch it wont flex as much and it will pass the stress to the next area it can. we have done patch work before and just bolted it on. ill talk to my buddy and see what he says would be best.

[bake74]

frames flex where you weld or patch it wont flex as much and it will pass the stress to the next area it can. we have done patch work before and just bolted it on. ill talk to my buddy and see what he says would be best.

     This is true if you are getting 100% penetration.  That all depends on how good of a welder you are, and if you can be honest with yourself.  All I am saying is a frame is not something to make short cuts with, it is kinda important piece of the truck.

[78BIG-TEN]

One thing to consider on swapping frames,depending on local laws,the serial number stamped into frame.If it were mine ,I would grind out crack a little make sure all is lined up and weld.Grind weld smooth and then plate over it to spread the load.May weld a plate on the other side if this is a high stress area.Any trucks we had with some sort of mounted equipment on it we would always fishplate the frame,makes it much stronger

[Irish_Alley]

one thing about my welds is im scared they will break so i tend to make them a little big and hot when i can. but then you get into the "heat affected area" of the weld, this is where the area around the weld is weaker than the weld and will break before the weld. what im saying is im getting ready to cut down a 99 1ton that had a dump body on it and make it a short bed for my 94. i trust myself with the patchwork but this is something that i been doing for a while. i wouldnt try it with a 110 welder, my buddy has and with good results but i know hes a better welder than me.

if i was in your shoes and knew how to weld but it wasnt a profession, i would maybe patch it up and look for a new frame. bake is making some good points

[bake74]

      I was taught to weld from 2 friends of mine, 1 was a welder in the Navy on nuclear submarines.  The second went to school for 2 years for welding.
      I have gained a lot from them not only how to weld but the differences in the metal you are welding and types, different heat to apply and what temps a lot of different things can take before they become brittle.
     I will be the first to say that I am a amateur welder in every since.  But I do know frames can be fixed, my point was to make sure the person welding it was good enough to do it right.
    You could always take a like piece of metal and weld it, then cut it apart to see how well you did.  I was amazed the first couple of times I did this on how much I sucked at welding.