HELP! Frame rail cracks

[mike]

I have found two cracks on the rail at the upper shock mounts at both sides above the steering axle on my 1988 International S1800 After visting the local school bus shop I was told that some Internationals developed cracks and metal plates were installed on the inside of the rails to it beef up. Has any one else seen this? and just large of crack before they were found and how well has the plates held up.

[waywardfool]

in the Jeep and 4x4 world, frame patches are not that unusual.

Any competent welder should be able to properly repair for you.

Patches need to be diamond-shaped, you don't want any vertical welds on a frame, or it will crack there

[lapeer20m]

i wouldn't be afraid to have a competent welder fix cracks in my frame if i had any

[mike]

I found metal plates from the international dealer here in town about 125.00 a piece left and right are different part numbers, had to order them, parts dept had to call the local school bus shop to come up with the part numbers.

[hoser]

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

i wouldn't be afraid to have a competent welder fix cracks in my frame if i had any

I agree 100%

Its just metal that has cracked, it can be repaired, it happens and is repairs hundreds of times a day all over the world, I have repaired motor mounts (motor not ENGINE) on fans at the local nuke plant they are fan assemblys that weigh 2000 lbs, have a 7' diameter fan blade and are suspended by metal mounts, they get out of balance and crack, we weld up the cracks, cracks I repaired over 10 years ago are still holding, these fans run 24/7 365 the only off time they see is when we inspect them thats only a few days every 24 months.

Cracked or bent frame repairs is not a big deal if done correctly.

I repaired many motorcycle and ATV frames, I also have repaired many cracked exhaust systems on motorcycles and ATV's over the years, none have ever broken again after the crack repairs.

73-87 4x4 Chevy and GMC trucks are also known to crack the frame around the gear boxes they make repair plates for this also.

Any repairs need to be inspected, I would inspect every time I changed the oil, I would also tell the new owner about the repair and show them how to inspect if I sold the repaired frame.