montanaman

Thanks stingray1300 - am I going blind in my old age?

If it was me, and it's not, I'd stick weld them on with a first pass of 6010, and finish it up with some 7018, and I'd never look back, because I've had good success welding spring/shock mounts on both axles and frames.

When we took a 8.8 axle out of an Explorer, and put it under the Jeep, we had to cut everything off of it and redo it. Our biggest problem was figuring out the angles for the brackets, so we had to tack it together and check it before we welded it up.

I'm just saying it isn't rocket science, and that these newer truck frames are so beefy that you would almost have to go out of your way to weaken one

Steve83

I disagree. Modern designs are progressively closer to the minimum thickness/weight/cost than older designs. It's an unavoidable result of finite-element analysis & CAFE laws. And that makes them MORE-susceptible to failure after apparently-subtle changes, like welding, drilling, corrosion, or even a deep scratch.

STingray1300

I have to side with Steve. If you have ever seen the Ford parameters for simply drilling the F150 frame, you'd be shocked, and would think twice, if not three times before welding on these frames. (I posted the drilling spec sheet on this forum a few months ago - directly from the Factory Service Manual) - very very fussy. If need be, I can pull it up again for y'all.

STingray1300

Found the thread:

https://www.f150forum.com/f34/rock-sliders-402455/

Al_Maryland

It is true that I am a novice welder, but I am a self starter and want to learn what I can. Thanks for all the advice.

I have been around the desert truck scene as an observer and noticed that many of the modifications for these types of trucks involve both welding and drilling various holes on the truck frame to add suspension links, shock tabs and other miscellaneous brackets. Also, I have seen many companies that manufacture weld on rock sliders and such for trucks and jeeps. With the amount of these items offered for sale, It is my opinion that if the prep was done correctly and the weld penetration is more than adequate, these welding and drilling mods are just fine.

My main question was if any welding was to be done on the truck frame, does the battery need to be disconnected? I have been to various muffler installation shops, and I would say that 80% of them never disconnect the battery when welding on pipes hangers and tacking pipe joints together. I would personally go ahead and disconnect the battery just to be safe.

Thanks for all your advice.

Al

Steve83

The first thing to learn is: don't learn on your own street-legal vehicle. Learn on MANY other things for YEARS before attempting something that critical & valuable.If you look closer, you'll see that they don't ONLY weld & drill - they extensively modify, reinforce, and re-engineer them. And I do mean "engineer".Read a few of the instructions - I bet more than one says to leave that work to a SKILLED welder - not a novice.Prep & penetration are certainly important. But there are MANY other factors to consider, in addition to a well-engineered design that applies forces to the frame in the correct locations.I'm curious how you compiled enough statistics to come up with that percentage.

Al_Maryland

Thanks for all your advice. I'll post pics of my progress on my mods.

STingray1300

Kids..... they have all the answers.

...they just haven't heard all the questions yet.

J15

I think you missed the fundamental problem with welding to a frame. It's not the quality of the weld or the strength of the aftermarket part that poses the biggest threat to structural integrity. It's the heat you're putting into the frame. The install can look 100% professional and sturdy, until it's exposed to sufficient force along the weakest slip plane.

Drill and use quality rivets. You'll get all the strength you need without any of the thermal problems of welding.

Al_Maryland

Thanks for your advice. I'm going to drill holes and use rivets.