Chassis Dilemma

[Jamesbb]

Over a year ago i purchased a 1950 Chevy truck. It has been a long road and i have came to an issue that im not sure what to do. The more i look at the chassis the more unsure i am of the quality of it. The pics im including should give some idea of what im seeing. The chassis has alot of rust and pitting. The problem is i have already installed a heidts front end, and gotten a 4 link for the rear, but i have not installed it yet. I am wondering if there is anything i should do to strengthen the chassis, or should i scrap the frame and the frontend and get an aftermarket frame. I really dont have the money for the frame which would set me back alot on the build, but i want what is right. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[G&R's57GMC]

Take it to a powder coater and have it sand blasted . This will give you a clear picture of just how much damage time has taken on it.

You could box it after you hit it with etching primer and paint.

[G&R's57GMC]

[QUOTE=Jamesbb;6257042]Over a year ago i purchased a 1950 Chevy truck..... I am wondering if there is anything i should do to strengthen the chassis, or should i scrap the frame and the frontend and get an aftermarket frame. I really dont have the money for the frame which would set me back alot on the build, but i want what is right. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

An aftermarket frame will cost you over $10 grand so depending on what the goal of the build is, daily driver, cruiser, drag racing, auto cross, The budget would determine the direction of the build.

Its real easy for the project to spin out of control if a plan is not in place and a budget set.

Then again the project may have to be reevaluated and a new plan made. Of course its better to do this before spending $ and time going down the wrong road.

[alaska gasser]

I would take a serious look at the entire frame. If it is only pitted bad in a few areas, I would fix those spots and then box the frame. If it is pitted really deep on most of the frame, I would consider finding another stock one, not necessarily an aftermarket one. I wouldn't spend any more $ on it until you decide for sure what you want to do.

For myself, a new frame would not be feasable and I look at most of what I do and some of the rough stuff I repair, as my labor is free.

[mphudak]

Take a good look at the frame braces just behind where the cab would be. Usually the worse area on these frames in my experience. I'm in the middle of repairing a pretty rusty frame myself. Just a matter of time, money and skills, all of which I have none, just persistence.

[Jamesbb]

I plan on using the truck for a daily driver and to make a few road trips in the truck. The majority of the really bad places are on the rear half of the frame and the pics shown are the worst spots.

[mr48chev]

To be honest, in the past I have scrapped better frames than that because they weren't good enough to use but that was when I was paying 25 or 50 dollars for a truck and dragging it home.
That looks like the frame of a truck I picked up in the early 80's that had carried fertilizer and stuff to spray for weeds and bugs in the back on a local farm for most of it's life. The fertilizer had eaten up the steel pretty good.

I would go hunt for a good frame and cut the front suspension out and start over if it was me but that may not be an option for you. Maybe one of the guys on here who is within reasonable driving distance has a decent stock frame that he pulled out of a truck to do an S-10 swap that he will cut you a deal on to help the project along.

If you do go ahead and use it I'd follow the suggestion of having it sandblasted to be able to see what you actually have and then boxing the frame.

[_Ogre]

heidts front end and a 4 link sends the message that you will never haul another load in it.
weld up all those holes, reinforce any really bad spots and where your 4 link mounts and then box the frame all the way.
i wouldn't ever haul a ton of rocks on that frame, but i sense a cooler and a couple of lawn chairs will be it.

[Jamesbb]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

heidts front end and a 4 link sends the message that you will never haul another load in it.
weld up all those holes, reinforce any really bad spots and where your 4 link mounts and then box the frame all the way.
i wouldn't ever haul a ton of rocks on that frame, but i sense a cooler and a couple of lawn chairs will be it.

I'll definately won't be hauling anything heavy. I thought about bending 36" of .150 up to .180 thick steel pieces in a L shape then welding in the bad areas. Then going back over that and boxing in the frame. The frame overall is pretty good specially the front half. The rear half is spotty from front leaf spring mounts to the rear cross brace. The stock c notches in the frame are pretty good also, so basically the only bad areas are mainly around the front leaf spring mounts. After putting alot of thought im feeling better about frame being able to be fixed, but any suggestions people have I am open to hear. Im not going to be doing anything crazy with this truck, i just want a nice looking truck that i can cruise around in.

[mr48chev]

Our primary concern is your safety when driving the truck down the road. Before I did anything else I would have it sandblasted to get rid of the rust and to see exactly what you have left to work with. That way you not only get a handle on stopping the rust process but will be better able to see how much damage has happened to the frame by the rust.

[Jamesbb]

Thanks all for the suggestions, I'll get it blasted and see where i end up. Hopefully one day i'll get this truck together.

[GMCGoat]

I would lay out frame on some jack stands. level it, then measure cross wise to see if the frame is still straight as well. If it is twisted, it might be another reason to go with a different frame.

I have similar issues with my frame. Not really with pitting but there was a repair job done before I bought the truck. I want to do an IFS install too but don`t want to install the IFS before making sure frame is worth it. Aren`t these the issues the ones that keep you up at night...you know the "what is the best thing to do" kind of questions?

[Cape Codder]

A good way to see how rusty the frame is without paying to sandblast is a scaling or needle gun.

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-nee...aler-1108.html

It is used to cleanup rust on bridges and shipyards and work great on car frames