ArdWrknTrk Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 At least your crossmember holes weren't so big as the bushing poked all the way through! I had to put the patch on top and weld from the bottom, because I wasn't about to pull my cab. Laying under a flux core weld is not too pleasant. Good luck today! Driving dozens of rivets out is a thankless task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 But the crossmember at the front of the gas tank maybe not so much and might well be fine just slipping the largest bolt that fits w/o reaming it. Gary, The crossmember in question was the one at the front of the gas tank, which is also the one that supports the back of the cab. I removed all 16 rviets yesterday and the drill and air chisel method worked great. I will be using it again this morning when I remove the next crossmember...the one for the rear of the mid-ship tank. I also tried some 7/16" bolts and they fit very snug, enough so that a couple have to be tapped through the holes. Here is the angle bracket that I needed to replace, and you can see why. Typical rust belt stuff. They all end up looking like this in the salt. In any case, I had my good replacement from the junkyard that I patched up. (That reminds me, I guess that makes 22 rivets I removed, just for this one part of the job, and I'm only just getting started...lol). I ended up having to add some plates over a couple holes and thin spots, but it's back to be rock solid. It was pretty thin where the cab mounts sit as well, so I put plates on the back side and re-drilled the holes. It's not pretty, but the welds penetrated well and it's strong. I basically made my own frame saver kit but installed it on the underside instead of the top. The top is fine, but I didn't want to screw around with the body height, so chose the bottom. The driver's side was worse of course, but it's all good and strong now. Perfectly good for what I'm building, and besides...I don't have another crossmember to use anyway...not like I have much choice at this point! Anyway, coffee is brewed, I'm off to the shop to remove the next crossmember...fingers crossed it needs less work. I'm glad the drill & chisel method worked well. That's a lot of rivets, but if you get a system that works it won't be quite so bad. Speaking of bad, that angle bracket looks BAD! Yipes, I'm glad I don't have to deal with that. But your welding and reinforcement looks good. And if the bolts fit snugly it is going to work out nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted August 30, 2020 Author Share Posted August 30, 2020 Driving dozens of rivets out is a thankless task. I removed 14 more rivets this morning! YES, it is a thankless task. That's 38 rivets this week, and I still have to remove all four leaf spring hangers, and I'm planning to remove the front cab mount brackets as well. This is middle crossmember, the one over the rear of the mid-ship fuel tank. It is in much better condition and only has a couple thin spots I'll have to patch and reinforce. Not so bad. Problem is...I got a twinge in my back while doing this, so I'm out of commission for a little bit while I wait for some pills to take effect. Off to watch Motor Trend for a little while...lol (Junkyard Gold, Roadkill, and Engine Masters). It took as long (or longer) to remove the four bottom rivets as it did the 10 on the top. That sh!t is UNFUN. I'm glad the drill & chisel method worked well. That's a lot of rivets, but if you get a system that works it won't be quite so bad. Gary, it works super well, at least on the frame rivets. So this is my new procedure: Shave the top half of the rivet head off with my zipcut disk so I can locate the center easier, and center punch it. Drill 1/8" pilot hole, and then a 3/8" hole, both far enough through that they pass through the hole in the frame. One little touch with the air chisel, and I'm serious those heads launch into orbit...they just dissappear. The rivets in the crossmembers however are not as easy...the heads are harder to remove for some reason, and take some work. So 38 rivets removed this week, and according to my math, I'll have about another 30 or so to go. No big deal. No wonder my back is sore...lol. Happy Sunday guys. Thanks again for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted August 30, 2020 Author Share Posted August 30, 2020 At least your crossmember holes weren't so big as the bushing poked all the way through! I had to put the patch on top and weld from the bottom, because I wasn't about to pull my cab. Laying under a flux core weld is not too pleasant. Jim, I've seen A LOT of 1980-1996 Crossmembers like that, with the cab mounts poking through the hole. I was very fortunate that these ones were all still intact, albeit a little thin. At least they were worth patching, and I think now plenty strong. Welding overhead ugh... Been admitted to the burn unit lately??...lol. I did a lot of welding when I was younger, and did a lot of overhead welding with 6011 rods...I remember having burns all over my head and neck...lol. UNFUN. PS: I'm really loving the needle scaler. I've been using it steadily on all of these parts. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 At least your crossmember holes weren't so big as the bushing poked all the way through! I had to put the patch on top and weld from the bottom, because I wasn't about to pull my cab. Laying under a flux core weld is not too pleasant. Jim, I've seen A LOT of 1980-1996 Crossmembers like that, with the cab mounts poking through the hole. I was very fortunate that these ones were all still intact, albeit a little thin. At least they were worth patching, and I think now plenty strong. Welding overhead ugh... Been admitted to the burn unit lately??...lol. I did a lot of welding when I was younger, and did a lot of overhead welding with 6011 rods...I remember having burns all over my head and neck...lol. UNFUN. PS: I'm really loving the needle scaler. I've been using it steadily on all of these parts. Good job! Quite the project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Good job! Quite the project! I've seen "frame off" restorations, but it isn't often you take the parts "off the frame" .... Cory loves a project. I'm sure it will keep you busy through the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Driving dozens of rivets out is a thankless task. I removed 14 more rivets this morning! YES, it is a thankless task. That's 38 rivets this week, and I still have to remove all four leaf spring hangers, and I'm planning to remove the front cab mount brackets as well. This is middle crossmember, the one over the rear of the mid-ship fuel tank. It is in much better condition and only has a couple thin spots I'll have to patch and reinforce. Not so bad. Problem is...I got a twinge in my back while doing this, so I'm out of commission for a little bit while I wait for some pills to take effect. Off to watch Motor Trend for a little while...lol (Junkyard Gold, Roadkill, and Engine Masters). It took as long (or longer) to remove the four bottom rivets as it did the 10 on the top. That sh!t is UNFUN. I'm glad the drill & chisel method worked well. That's a lot of rivets, but if you get a system that works it won't be quite so bad. Gary, it works super well, at least on the frame rivets. So this is my new procedure: Shave the top half of the rivet head off with my zipcut disk so I can locate the center easier, and center punch it. Drill 1/8" pilot hole, and then a 3/8" hole, both far enough through that they pass through the hole in the frame. One little touch with the air chisel, and I'm serious those heads launch into orbit...they just dissappear. The rivets in the crossmembers however are not as easy...the heads are harder to remove for some reason, and take some work. So 38 rivets removed this week, and according to my math, I'll have about another 30 or so to go. No big deal. No wonder my back is sore...lol. Happy Sunday guys. Thanks again for all your help. Well done, Cory! You are busting right through those rivets. We need to write that process down as it is probably the best way to remove rivets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 At least your crossmember holes weren't so big as the bushing poked all the way through! I had to put the patch on top and weld from the bottom, because I wasn't about to pull my cab. Laying under a flux core weld is not too pleasant. Jim, I've seen A LOT of 1980-1996 Crossmembers like that, with the cab mounts poking through the hole. I was very fortunate that these ones were all still intact, albeit a little thin. At least they were worth patching, and I think now plenty strong. Welding overhead ugh... Been admitted to the burn unit lately??...lol. I did a lot of welding when I was younger, and did a lot of overhead welding with 6011 rods...I remember having burns all over my head and neck...lol. UNFUN. PS: I'm really loving the needle scaler. I've been using it steadily on all of these parts. 6011 on a buzz box is a lot of spatter but it does cut through contaminated material. Farm welding at its finest! More than once I've been unable to see I was on fire with the hood down. By the time you realize that your X is 'really hot' your shirt is cinders. Chamois cloth is very prone to this.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 6011 on a buzz box is a lot of spatter but it does cut through contaminated material. Farm welding at its finest! More than once I've been unable to see I was on fire with the hood down. By the time you realize that your X is 'really hot' your shirt is cinders. Chamois cloth is very prone to this.... My father pulled me out of my '58 Bel Air when it caught fire from welding. We put it out pretty quickly with no damage, but I sure couldn't see it with the hood on. And I couldn't understand his yelling, so he grabbed me and pulled me out. And I'm sure I was using 6011 as that's all we used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n72821/IMG_2370.jpg "New Scotland" license plates... nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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