Frame repair?

Ok so this is the repair that scares me the most. I will be taking it somewhere to get this done professionally, but would like some advice on where, and am wondering if anyone has made this type of repair and what I might expect to pay to have it done. It is just the passenger side, front around the spring mount.

I have done rear spring mount repair , but haven't ever seen a front one with rust like that. Right where the horn would be bolted. Was there a bunch of stuff in the frame(dirt, mud,animal food) that held moisture??

Yeah. If you have a HD stick welder and you are good with it it can be done a whole lot cheaper than paying the shop. They will charge you out the $whazzoo$ for framework, especially if it involves the spring mounts.
Best bet would to try and find some "U" stock with a 2 1/2" Dia. It is the easiest, strongest and safest way to repair the frame at the spring mounts...

Well when I first got my van last spring, I got all the lights working an and took it in for the safety inspection so I could register it here in BC and it failed. One of the reasons was the rust on the frame rail. They said i would have to have a certified welder repair it, then bring it in before I painted it.

Do you think I would be better off taking it to a welding shop or a autobody shop?

Your choice. I would ask to see some of their work before commiting just to make sure of the quality of their work... Now a day you just never know..

If i were to do it myself would I cut out sections at a time and patch it or do I want something to weld overtop of what is currently there?

If you look at it there are 2 layers of metal there. Ones the frame and ones like the crumple zone(bumper mount) that stops just before the sway bar mounts on the frame.The spring mount is welded to that. I don't thing most body shops would have a Certified welder??

This is what I might would try, first cut the spring hanger loose from the frame rail, it looks like rust is trying to push it apart anyway, a grinder or cut off wheel and a drill for the spot welds. Then remove the worst of the rust on the frame rail itself, open it up abit, and get what ya can on the inside too , and pour the rust fix to it inside and out. then wrap it up with new metal, the top is probably more solid and would be best to fasten to also maybe pop in some 3/8 to 1/2 in holes where weldable metal is still behind it, make the patches span as much as possible. remember to measure where the hanger is from some fixed point. then relocate that and weld it back in thru the holes and wherever it was originally welded, Your just anchoring the spring hanger ,the unibody will pretty much support itself, I know you have "rules" up there in canada so you might have to have a certified welder do it or have it ready for him to save ya some $, If it was here I would just use a mig on it. Good luck ,, thats a tough one.

What type of metal do I need to buy to make the repairs? It is 1/8" thick, can I just use 10 Gauge sheet metal?

Hey Savage, I understand what you mean about the two layers. Would I be better off doing it in two layers again, spot welding the second layer on top (as well as seam welding it) or using a gauge steel that is the thickness of the two layers.

Now that I look at the photos from Donivan again, it seems as though the frame does NOT run up through the effected area. So then it would only be one layer? Anybody confirm or deny this?

Wanted to chime in on another point wacko... if your other van was inspected and failed due to rusty frame rails, that doesn't mean it needs to be professsionally repaired. If you do the repair before it's ever inspected, then they cannot say there was ever a problem. Some shops will try to hook you into hiring the same shop to do the work.

Now, when I did my patch panels on my Chev before an out-of-province insp, I did not hide the fact that I welded patch panels in... they were not smoothly finished. The garage harped on it and charged me $100 to "clean up the poor welds", but they never touched it... $100 was less than a second inspection. So if you are getting an inspection done, make the repair as invisible as possible so it's difficult to identify any work.

It is the same van. Do you know if I take it to a different shop for the second inspection will they have a record of what failed before?

When I was looking at your 4th pic, you can see 2 layers in the hole in frame. Dons pic is of drivers side,the dip in frame is where the stering box goes,so not sure if its the same as pass side?? Need to go look under mine??[img][/img] Heres a page from the manual with some of the frame dimensions hope it helps??

They may have to file the inspection with the Govt... but if another garage does an inspection and does not find fault with it, it will pass. Even if the same garage can be encouraged to pass it (although it was my agreement to pay for a bogus welding repair... $100 is less than $140).

If you can fix it, you don't need a receipt to prove it's fixed... that's what the inspection is for.

On mine, the I knew they would fail the wheel alignment (free money for them, because most backyard guys don't have the equipment to prove their alignment IS good. So with the inspection fee of $140, wheel alignment for I don't know how much, some suspension repairs that would warrant said alignment... I was in pretty deep with this garage. I had a choice of starting from scratch with a fresh inspection for another $140 PLUS another wheel alignment, and maybe them failing other stupid things... it was cheaper to say the 1st garage repaired my welding. After buying and installing new brake parts and some hoses, my rust repairs, the inspection, and bogus welding charges, my $500 British Columbia 85 Chev G20 cost me $1500 total to get on the road.

wacko wrote:It is the same van. Do you know if I take it to a different shop for the second inspection will they have a record of what failed before?

I'm glad I live in the USA. Here in IN you can drive what ever old rust bucket- death trap you want ,and the State or Gov can't tell you no, as long as your vin # matches the title. (or you pay $$ for new one??)

savage wrote:I'm glad I live in the USA. Here in IN you can drive what ever old rust bucket- death trap you want ,and the State or Gov can't tell you no, as long as your vin # matches the title. (or you pay $$ for new one??)

I'm with Savage on this one. I've traveled to many countries in my 25 years in the military before retiring this year and most of them have vehicle inspections and they can be rough sometimes.

Glad I'm moving back to Michigan next summer where anything goes.........

Ok so I cut out the bad metal and finalliy finished my frame repairs. I still need to finish with a touch of filler, sand and paint.

I got Xs wacko... was wanting to see it... maybe when I get home.

Lookin good Wacko. I Know that has been an issue for some time now. Glad you got it taken care of....