Repairing A Rusty B-body Framerail - Framerail Repair

After we trial fitted our Safe-T-Cap, we marked out the areas that we needed to trim. We ordered full-length rails for each side because the frame was in that bad of shape. Fortunately, the front area around the E-brake cable mounting location was good, so we simply trimmed the rail to fit behind that point.

Before you begin welding, you MUST make sure the Safe-T-cap is completely in place. It must fit snugly over the framerail. We used C-clamps at various locations to ensure it stayed in place while we welded.

We attached the repair panel by spot-welding it in several locations before final welding.

After you have tack/stitch welded the repair piece in place, finish welding the rest of the repair's edge. Do not continuously weld along the edge, as heat will either burn through or cause other distortion problems.

Remember the shock crossmember falling out? after that, we placed a second order for a replacement crossmember from Auto Rust Technicians. So what if the new piece is not stamped steel like the factory piece. It is a welded piece made of heavier metal, and that works for us.

The new crossmember was positioned into the proper location and welded in place.

Por-15 is a rust-preventative coating designed to be applied directly over rusted surfaces. POR-15 works because it chemically bonds to rusted metal and forms a hard, nonporous coating that won't peel.

Once all the welding is complete, the new metal needs protecting so it doesn't rust.

After the POR-15 has dried, the fuel tank, rear suspension, and the brake and fuel lines can be replaced.