Rusted Frame. HELP!?

well this is my first post here and I'm looking for some help. The truck is a 1995 Dodge ram 2500 its been in the family since I was little and is now referred to as ole' black it was going to be my first truck until I noticed earlier this year that it had a small crack in the frame and we took it to my grandpas to check it out. well he has a 2 post lift so we put it on it and slowly started lifting then in started making some bad sounds so we stopped and set it back down there is now 2 cracks. It rusted out where the skid plate bolts into the frame on both sides. the passenger side after taking a hammer to all the weak spots is missing the whole bottom and side piece of the frame in about a foot long section the other side we know we can weld but this side were not sure about any tips on how we can weld this thing? I really would hate to see this thing go to junk and want it back on the road. could we weld a plate on there and get it strong enough?

Junk it. It'll never be the same.

I'm sure you could weld somethin but I don't know how strong it will be or how long it'll last. Only other thing you could do is get another frame off another truck that's in good condition and swap them.

[ tapatalkin ]

Welding in patch panels on a frame is doable, but you are just moving the weak link to a different locataion. Might last a few yrs, might last a few days. Your best bet in my opinion is to either do a frame swap or scrap her out.

Rust never sleeps...time for a Southern rust free frame. I can only imagine the body....even if you can't see the rust, it's waiting to pop out.

Im guessing you either live near the coast or up north?

When you weld a frame it becomes weaker around.d the welded area and will break, then you have to patch that and so on. It's not like our 2nd gens are rare. Like I said before junk it. Build another rig as a tribute rig.

welcome.

you can find a 2nd gen that needs a motor or something with a good frame for $1000-1500

^do that

welcome to the site

You can repair a frame. Use thick plate steel, and make the panel about 2' long, tappered ends coming to a rounded point. stitch weld (not a solid weld) about 2" welds with a 2" gap. This'll allow the frame to still 'flex' like it should, but transfer most of the load.

That being said, I think 'fixing' a rusted frame is a terrible idea. I would scrap the frame.

You can do it, people box in frames on older cars all the time. Just have an experienced welder do the patch work. To alieve rust growing back, use POR15, Inc. - Stop Rust Permanently - Repair Gas & Fuel Tanks

Yes I'm in Michigan so rust is bad around here. The only annoying thing about looking for a donor truck is you can buy a running and driving gen 2 for 1300ish and people still want 1000 and up for one with no motor doesn't make sense to me.

Graygoose said:

You can do it, people box in frames on older cars all the time. Just have an experienced welder do the patch work. To alieve rust growing back, use POR15, Inc. - Stop Rust Permanently - Repair Gas & Fuel Tanks

Click to expand...

Yup , I used that stuff on my underneath then hurculined it

^ ur taint?

sorry.

have you seen the change up?

You better replace the frame with a rust free frame. Oh yes you can weld on the frame, but you better know what you are doing. Straight welds will break, if your to hot or cold you will have a problem. I had one frame cross bar repaired on a 1979 Chevy CK 20 4x4. The cross member under the engine on Chevys would crack under heavy 4x4 use. The guy that welded it the first time was a top machine welder. It cracked again in the weld. So another friend of mine who was a certified x-ray welder on nuclear power plants re did the weld & it held until I sold the truck 10 years later. We are talking a two inch crack. Not most of the frame. Frames these days are tempered, most are press formed. So if you aren't an expert welder that understands metals & all the variations your asking for problems.
Just a side note. If you got into an accident because of a frame failure & someone got seriously hurt or killed you could be charged if they inspect your rig & find a welded frame. It is not worth the time, effort, or risk. I use to drive a tow truck & we had an impound yard. Every vehicle we towed from a death was inspected at length by the Highway Patrol Accident Investigators.
But I'm an old man so what do I know.