The frame is completely stripped down now and is flipped over to cut off the
outriggers. |
A rear shot
of the frame... |
The
outriggers are cut off using the plasma cutter. The rest of this will
be dressed up with a grinder and sanded. |
This plate
was welded under the front frame rail where the bump stop mounts. The
original bolts had broken off, so someone welded this plate on to mount the
new bump stops to. The original holes will be redrilled and tapped. |
This plate
was welded to the front frame rails to reinforce the front bumper. I
carefully use the plasma cutter to break the welds, then use a cutting blade
on a grinder, then use wedges to break
it free. |
After cutting
all the welds, the bracket finally releases it's grip on the frame rail. |
The frame
rails are a little rusted, but very solid. |
The two large
holes on top of the frame rail and the large hole directly under the grill
mount (to the right of the jackstand) are not original and will be welded
closed. |
Here are the
three holes welded closed. |
This is a
tear in the left rear frame rail. |
Welded,
polished, and good as new! |
The new
replacement bumper came from Walcks (see parts suppliers)
and is much better than the flimsy Omix-Ada replacement bumpers most places
carry. |
The bumper is
mounted using a technique I use to mimic the original rivets. They are
carriage bolts ground down and shaped. The are held on the backside
with a washer and nut that is welded and rounded. |
Now it was
time to work on the twisted rear frame crossmember. |
A little
heat... |
...And some
shaping using a chunk of perfectly sized box steel... |
...some
welding, and it's good as new!!! |
The front
bumpstop holes that had broken studs are redrilled and tapped. |
Instead of
welding a nut on the front side of this broken bolt, I weld it on the back
side and then back it out of the hole. |
This body
mount was welded to those outriggers I torched off and had been damaged in
the installation. Here I cut a small replacement piece and weld it in. |
The repaired
outrigger and clutch spring bracket welded back in it's original place. |
Here's the
finished frame. Next up is
having it sandblasted and powdercoated. |
Now the frame
is just like it was when it left the factory, except for the rust! |
2/3/07: The frame is back from sandblasting and powder coating and looks
GREAT!!! |