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Truck Frame Modifucations
V8 Level II wrote:
Scrambler82 wrote:
By only boxing portion of the frame, do you open the frame to collecting mud and dirt behind the boxed areas ?
Thoughts...
For 98+ Rangers, both coil and T-bar, the frame rails are factory boxed from the front bumper back to just beyond the transmission crossmember. So it is already partially boxed. From what I've seen with these years, the problems with rust perforation and frame component failure are far more prevalent in the rear unboxed section.
Unless you can guarantee that a boxed frame is absolutely watertight (not likely!), it would make sense to provide drainage paths to minimize water/salt/mud accumulation. Rust begets more rust, especially if it's in an area that is slow to dry - like the inside of a boxed frame would likely be.
IMO, any used frame that is a candidate for boxing should be thoroughly de-rusted, cleaned and painted before adding the plates. The outside could be painted after welding is complete.
That just leaves the internal welding paths unprotected. Eastwood.com sells an internal aerosol frame spray which can be applied using its 24" flexible spray tube inserted through existing frame holes. Reviews are mixed and it is reputed to be a messy process. I haven't used it myself but it seems like it might be a good idea. However, I don't know how the average owner could judge its effectiveness unless you actually cut a treated frame apart ten years later and inspected it.
What year did they add the bolt in rear section of the frame or portion of it?
Precisely the rust issue is less here in the West but it exist. As much as I would LOVE to just set my wallet on fire and build a custom frame but modifying one for my needs is the best i'll be able to do... [for now]. On the Eastwood internal rust inhibitor, that above article mentions it near the end. I used to do rustproofing at Auto-1 and Auto Ameristar way back in the day. Popular back in the outlying Detroit areas. So I wonder how different it is from what was used back then? It is a bit messy but not that bad. But it was really effective especially when you came back for a respray at the 6yr and 10yr additionally. Its basically a fog that sprays in all the cavities and was applied to the underside of the vehicles and inner wheel well areas. Then after it sat up for a bit, it was generally what we called "blacked out" with a sound deadening material applied in a same manner and man that worked great. I would put it on thick too.
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