Welding on frame

[GM Guy]

as long as one disconnects the battery, it is O.K. to weld on the frame, right?

Dad's 98 is suffering from "dad thinks his newer truck is just as durable as his old IHC" syndrome, :frown2:

we trucked it 200 miles (piggybacking on the semi, had to get four combine heads, saving fuel by piggybacking) he tied the front down by chaining through the front tow hooks, the right one is down a bit and the factory weld cracked. plan of action is strip everything off, staighten front bottom surface of frame where hooks mount, and re-weld both sides with bigger better welds.

i was just wondering if it is ok to weld on, dont want to screw the truck up any more than it is!:biggrinjester:

any input appreciated, thanks.

PS i put this thread in here because i thought that some lift kits require welding, please move if necessary.

 

[NAR]

Just don't weld in a direction that will promote future cracking. You shouldn't hurt anything, especially if you pull the battery cables. When I built my bumper I had the stereo playing in the truck the entire time, tacking stuff together on the truck... Welded on plenty of equipment without problems.

 

[michael nelson]

do not weld on any frame ever-....that is a rule..they are factory heat treated to specs that are not to be added heat-

 

[ColbyColorado04]

Ive broken this rule.......A few times.....Not on the new truck though.....

 

[NAR]

He is talking about welding a crack, it's not going to make it any worse than having that crack keep going. Semi frames say not to weld on them and they get welded on all the time. Sometimes it has to be done...

 

[whitetrash21]

frames say not to weld on them simply because they are tempered. an inexperienced welder can put too much heat on a weld on tempered metal and cause more problems then they are fixing. if you know how to run a welder, then you'll be ok. dont superheat it, and you should be fine....... i welded the frame on my old truck back together after it cracked (dont jump toyota tacomas, they cant handle it ) ..... it was stronger after the fact then it was to start with.....

 

[big block 88]

We welded trucks up all the time tool boxes cracks in the frame brackets and what ever else you can think of. All you have to do is control your heat and don't crank the Amps way up, you will be fine. If you control your heat and don't set to melt you will not affect the temper. I kinda use to melt stuff together for a living before I came over here to play in the sandbox.

 

[GM Guy]

frames say not to weld on them simply because they are tempered. an inexperienced welder can put too much heat on a weld on tempered metal and cause more problems then they are fixing. if you know how to run a welder, then you'll be ok. dont superheat it, and you should be fine....... i welded the frame on my old truck back together after it cracked (dont jump toyota tacomas, they cant handle it ) ..... it was stronger after the fact then it was to start with.....

I cant weld worth a crap.:sick: Dad will do it...eventually. he's pretty good at welding. We will surely disconnect the battery.
Thanks for the replys everyone!:sifone: