• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

my frames cracked at the steering box

tonexj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
windsor, ca
from the outside, under, and up the inside a little. when i turn my wheels (33" tsl's on 15x8 rims) the whole frame by the box moves side to side as if its coming apart altogether. i dont know how good a brace would do right now i fabbed up some plate for the side but it didnt rele help much..heres where im at:

IMG_0643.jpg


IMG_0645.jpg


even with that plate on the outside and the plate i added on the inside, the whole frame still seems to move around that box and i need a new solution
 
Last edited:
I dont understand about fabbing up plates and they didnt help. Please explain what you did. (EDIT: PICs just showed up, disregard)

Edit: It doesnt look like you welded it in, just bolted it. Lots of rosette welds needed to move the load from the unibody into the frame plates.

If you stop drill the crack, weld it up and then weld plates from the front of the frame rail back to the lower control arm mount the cracking will stop. You might be able to plate the local area but be careful you dont just move the strain to a new spot (weld line) where it will start cracking again. Plates need to go on the side and bottom. If you plate the front it will shift the strain to the point where the plates end, concentrating there (stress riser) and causing it to crack there as well. Best to plate from the front bumper all the way back to the front leaf spring eye IMHO.

Just putting in a brace can make things a lot worse without also adding a track bar brace and plates according to many. No direct experience with this myself but several folks I know and trust in NAXJA have seen it.

John
 
from the outside, under, and up the inside a little. when i turn my wheels (33" tsl's on 15x8 rims) the whole frame by the box moves side to side as if its coming apart altogether. i dont know how good a brace would do right now i fabbed up some plate for the side but it didnt rele help much..

A brace would help, but there's still work to be done (before you install the brace!)

1) Stop-drill all cracks. Use a 1/16" or 3/32" bit, and drill right at the end of each crack. Make sure you get them all. This will help stop the crack from getting longer.

2) Use a burr and grind a slight V-notch along each crack. This will prepare it to be filled with weld metal. If possible, grind both sides - you don't need much V.

3) Have them welded. Specify full penetration on all welds.

4) Grind flat. Repaint the area.

5) Install brace. A plate to reinforce the framerail there is good, a cross-brace (to the other framerail) is better, and both would be best. The plate would spread the clamping force over a greater area than the three screw heads (even with washers,) and the cross-brace would spread the load of steering over both crossmembers (allowing them to reinforce each other.) You would still have local stresses on each crossmember tho - which is why both braces would be better.
 
This should give you good idea about how many rosette welds you need. I have something link 60 on each side from bumper back to the unnibody frame rail just behind the lower control arm mount.

http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=978413


John
 
Back
Top