Both my front rails contained rust and eventually cracked. To fix this I decided to go with the frame caps. They advertise that you can do this with the motor in but I don't see how.
Before fitting the new rails this is what needs to be done:
1. Removal of K Frame along with front suspension
2. Removal of bump stop / brake line mounts from original rails
3. Removal of K Frame mounting nuts from original rails
4. Removal of spot welds holding body/firewall from original rails ( behind wheel )
5. Knock original frame into shape. Mine had been flattened at the bottom by people using jacks in the wrong spot.
6. Clean up the caps. They do not come perfect so you will need to get the grinder onto them and clean up the welds so the K Frame and bump stops will attach. I actually had to cut the sides, reshape and weld back together so it would fit to the old frame rail properly. Wasn't real happy with that.
You can see from the photo of where the original K Frame mounts were that a large hole is required. This is so the mounts on the new rails can fit inside.
Once that is sorted, place both caps over the old rails and bolt them in using the bumper bolts. Then bolt the K Frame in. The main thing here is to make sure that both caps are up hard against the rail at the front. Once they rails are lined up tack weld them in at the front.
Welding techniques differ but I did a section at a time using clamps. I would clamp the cap on and bash it if neccessary until it was hard against the old rail. Then weld that section and move along.
Once on, cleaned up, fixed up and painted they don't look half bad. This is by no means the only way to do it but this is how I managed to do it.
Now to start working on the respray.
Topic: Guide to front frame caps / rust repair (pictures included) (Read 1172 times)
