The other day I noticed some odd coloration in this area of my Ranger's frame and it pitted when I pressed on it (this was where the little hole is, closest to the hanger mount). While pounding on the crossmember I've been concerned about with my 20 oz framing hammer, I decided to give this little area a few really good whacks to check it out. The previously pitted area fell out and the area that's slightly left of the factory hole also fell out. Other than those chunks that came out, it still sounds solid. The vertical slice is factory. I smacked this area hard enough to knock a plastic retainer out that was there. The two tiny holes toward the top and bottom are factory as well. I checked the integrity of the metal surrounding those holes by stabbing the steel with a pair of needle nose pliers. They only chipped the black paint that was on there.
I don't have great access to the back of the area thanks to the fuel tank. Does this look concerning, or am I still okay for now? I hit the area front and back with Fluid Film to slow it for now. Pounding everywhere else, that rail seems to be good. This truck has basically no rust on the body, which makes this disappointing and surprising.
The proximity of the gas tank to this pretty much rules out easily welding a patch. Could I possibly bolt plate over this area if the metal is strong enough, or will reapplications of fluid film suffice?
If that's the worst of it, then I would have no problem driving it
As far as I could tell, that's as far as it propagated. The metal's thin behind the chipped paint, but it didn't move with the hammer and pliers. I assume that rot being out of there will help slow it down as well? Rust seems to propagate from itself.
rust:
A) makes holes which lets water get into places it couldn't before
B) provides more surface area for moisture to absorb into.
But the truck won't last forever. 22 is a lot of years to have on it.
I've driven worse than that. Though nothing short of welding in new metal is going to stop rust, Fluid Film is good at slowing it down. I'd just treat it and keep an eye on it for now.
If it does come down to repairing that area at some point you can always drop the gas tank in order to weld in a patch.
I've never used a welder before. Haha. I'll keep an eye on it. The crossmember's still got some metal to it. I whacked that until chunks stopped falling off.
I was at the metal yard the other day and bought a piece of rectangular tubing that matches the width and depth of the U-channel crossmember and am going to bolt it in. Just behind it, there are holes from the factory in the rail flanges, and I'm going to bridge the gap with the new metal and connect a bridging piece to the old member. I plan on putting some rubber between the new tube and flanges to act like a bushing and let the flanges flex without cracking.
I don't think flex is something you want in a frame.
The flanges at the top and bottom of the frame are where the flexing stress is highest, and I was thinking that a bolt might cause fatigue or cracking, since it stops the bending. I could be over-analyzing it, but that's what my basic structural engineering knowledge tells me to think about. Haha. I was picturing how a sway bar link buffers itself between the tube and control arm on bushings but is still rigid enough to hold the parts together when I envisioned it.
I think you are overthinking it. Wheel suspension is supposed to flex. Frames are not.
go to harbor freight, buy a cheap arc welder, teach yourself how to use it,drop the gas tank, weld on the patch, have 3 beers, congratulate yourself for being so smart, take a nap, put the gas tank back on, have a sammich and a beer.
