Little Help... Cracks on front upper portion of crossmember

[Fakeshemp73]

Hello all

I was cleaning my front Crossmember when I saw these cracks. They are on both sides of the plate and on both plates if that makes sense. So the question is, Do I need a new crossmember or will welding the cracks be sufficient? Or do I need to even be worried about it? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Grumpy old man]

Find a welder who has a clue and weld them and be done with it . 75 % of the posters in here don't know what a mig welder is the other 25 % are divided in to 3 groups ...

the other 10 percent -- 1) I've seen a mig welder
the other 10 percent -- 2) I have a mig welder from harbor freight it's 80 amps and doesn't need that pesky argon gas

and the 5% who have a clue 3 ) I use a mig welder every day it's 220 and will weld anything I want .

no disrespect to anyone but some types of welding require a pro ....

[GASoline71]

They can be welded. You'll need to grind a shallow groove along the cracks to get good penetration. That's a pretty straight forward easy weld job.

But like GOM said... I'd weld it with a GOOD mig welder with gas. The cheapo harbor freight wire feeds are good for body panels and the like.

Gary

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Find a welder who has a clue and weld them and be done with it . 75 % of the posters in here don't know what a mig welder is the other 25 % are divided in to 3 groups ...

the other 10 percent -- 1) I've seen a mig welder
the other 10 percent -- 2) I have a mig welder from harbor freight it's 80 amps and doesn't need that pesky argon gas

and the 5% who have a clue 3 ) I use a mig welder every day it's 220 and will weld anything I want .

no disrespect to anyone but some types of welding require a pro ....

Oh, come on, Grumpy! You KNOW a MIG will make the metal near the crack brittle but a TIG will not! I know because I use both MIG and TIG. Both are 220 machines, use an Argon/CO2 mix and neither of them are from Harbor Freight I'll take a Miller EVERY TIME!

Seriously though, that is a high stress area, that's why it cracked. Welding with a MIG will just cause two new cracks, one on each side of the weld. If The OP decides to repair the crossmember he needs to fab a splice plate to strengthen that area. A piece of 12 GA Hot rolled, not cold rolled, steel will do the job nicely then get it TIG welded by a pro!

[Fakeshemp73]

Well that sucks...

Wish I would have seen these before spending two weekends grinding and cleaning. Well I was planning on learning to weld once I got to the patch panels in the cab but even if I took a few classes I don't think I would want to tackle this as my first welding experience. Looks like I will be pricing a New/used crossmember vs having a pro weld this up correctly.

Thanks for the responses guys...

[cooperhw]

What year is the truck? if it didn't come with disc brakes it would be a great time to slide a newer crossmember under there with discs and a nice sway bar. Suburban donors are plentiful in our area and cheap.
I'm in Mesa so not very far.

[Fakeshemp73]

Originally Posted by cooperhw

What year is the truck? if it didn't come with disc brakes it would be a great time to slide a newer crossmember under there with discs and a nice sway bar. Suburban donors are plentiful in our area and cheap.
I'm in Mesa so not very far.

Its a 70, so no discs. I almost went that route a while back anyway but after speaking with a few board members and didn't do it because I found with the aftermarket stuff it wasn't going to be a big cost difference. But with my situation changing I might just do that. I will have to jump on Craig's list and see whats out there. Thanks for the info...

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by Fakeshemp73

Well that sucks...

Wish I would have seen these before spending two weekends grinding and cleaning. Well I was planning on learning to weld once I got to the patch panels in the cab but even if I took a few classes I don't think I would want to tackle this as my first welding experience. Looks like I will be pricing a New/used crossmember vs having a pro weld this up correctly.

Thanks for the responses guys...

Just one more thing...join a car club! I am in three. Whenever anyone needs a differential set up or a little welding done all he has to do is drag his stuff to my garage and bring a bathing suit and some beer to enjoy around the pool when the job is done. By the same token, if I need a piece turned on a lathe or something milled on a vertical mill I know where to go. Trading favors helps build friendships and saves a ton of cash!

[jerry moss]

if you decide to weld repair, drill a small hole at the end of each crack. this will stop the crack from "running" after the repair. i have never used a tig but i use a mig every day and for frame repairs i say let a professional do the job. i've done repairs on my own vehicles with my mig and never had any issues.

[Fakeshemp73]

Originally Posted by Fitz

Just one more thing...join a car club! I am in three. Whenever anyone needs a differential set up or a little welding done all he has to do is drag his stuff to my garage and bring a bathing suit and some beer to enjoy around the pool when the job is done. By the same token, if I need a piece turned on a lathe or something milled on a vertical mill I know where to go. Trading favors helps build friendships and saves a ton of cash!

Good Call...Always nice to have good friends with the same interests.

[Fakeshemp73]

Originally Posted by jerry moss

if you decide to weld repair, drill a small hole at the end of each crack. this will stop the crack from "running" after the repair. i have never used a tig but i use a mig every day and for frame repairs i say let a professional do the job. i've done repairs on my own vehicles with my mig and never had any issues.

Thanks for the info. I read that about drilling a small hole on another thread also. Good to know if I get it repaired.

[Ruscal]

A stamped part like that has a lot of residual stress built into it which is not usually a problem. But after many stress cycles the metal eventually gives up. I would not hesitate to repair those cracks. A skilled welder/fabricator with the right tools can make them like new or better. The original stresses have been relieved somewhat, so part of the problem is solved.
Russ

[Fakeshemp73]

Originally Posted by Ruscal

A stamped part like that has a lot of residual stress built into it which is not usually a problem. But after many stress cycles the metal eventually gives up. I would not hesitate to repair those cracks. A skilled welder/fabricator with the right tools can make them like new or better. The original stresses have been relieved somewhat, so part of the problem is solved.
Russ

Good information Russ. I guess its going to come down to cost to repair vs cost of a different crossmember. I do have a lot of time into this one and I am not looking forward to having to clean a different one after just spending a few weekends on this one.

[hamjet]

Get them welded, the X member will never fall out. Its not that big of a deal as every ones making it, unless you're taking it to the moon....

[old Chevy guy]

Just get someone to weld it. Id grind it out a bit and stick weld it if it was mine and I used to be certified in in stick tig and mig. That giant V in the middle of that bracket has so much strength on its own I seriously doubt you will ever have a problem in your lifetime as in that bracket breaks and your front K frame falls out going down the road. Those cracks are tiny now and they had 45 years getting that far. Even if the crack came back its not going to snap off all of the sudden. Just my opinion.