Frame Repair Help Needed

[Elwood]

I've stripped my 1954 M37 down to a bare frame, and discovered this:



Above view from the front, below from the rear.



A previous owner (likely the rural fire department), replaced the factory Braden LU-4 winch with a Braden MU-2, which apparently required a slightly different angle for the winch driveshaft from the PTO. Their solution to that problem was a cutting torch to enlarge the holes in the front frame crossmember that the driveshaft passes through. Ouch.

I'm thinking that I can clean up the edges and weld in a filler patch, but I don't know what the dimensions and locations of the original holes should be. If someone has a bare frame at their disposal, would they be willing to make a couple of cardboard templates, referenced on the flange and rivets along the bottom front and rear edges of the crossmember? Or, if someone has a complete and unmolested front crossmember, I'd be open to buying that piece to use as a reference, or maybe as a replacement.

[HingsingM37]

Looking at this I would recommend finding an entire donor crossmember. You could spend hours patching and welding that hole and it may never look good , nor will it be as strong. Too much material has been comprimised and weakend. It will be better to replace it.

[Master Yota]

As an alternative, you could also just shape the hole round, and sleeve it with a piece of tubing, welding both ends. It would be every bit as strong as the factory piece and 98% of people won't even notice. Unless you're going for a concourse show winning restoration. If so, just replace the whole thing as Hingsing said, it would be easier than patching it.

[kelley]

Elwood,
That's an easy fix...
-Clean up the outside surfaces with a 5'' angle grinder, clean up the cut edges with a carbide burr in a die grinder or pistol drill.
-Make cardboard templates to fit neatly in the cleaned up holes. trace on to the correct thickness steel plate, thicker is o.k.
-cut out the plates slightly over sized, grind/sand to fit. If you're good with the Mig leave a 1/16' gap all around for a full penn weld. If not, then don't.
- Weld all around, grind/sand smooth, core drill new holes for the PTO shaft with a hole saw.
If you choose to leave the repair visible that's OK too, be proud of it.

[nhjohnny1]

That looks to be a way easier fix than changing the crossmember, is that one riveted?

[52 M-42]

Elwood, please keep in mind that the Army did not have a fleet of show quality, pristine, flawless vehicles that were competing for prizes at some MVPA show. They had a fleet of combat ready trucks (No combat ready truck ever passed inspection).

I'm sure any repair you do will be better than what the military would have done.

52 M-42

[PFC1952M37]

...the Army did not have a fleet of show quality, pristine, flawless vehicles that were competing for prizes at some MVPA show. They had a fleet of combat ready trucks (No combat ready truck ever passed inspection).

I'm sure any repair you do will be better than what the military would have done."

First of all, Thank You for your service. Based on your statement, I'm sure your actual military rank was far higher than your forum rank. I hope you applied your great expertise to having all the substandard vehicles and the substandard mechanics who maintained them eliminated from the appropriate MTOE organizations. I almost feel that I should apologize for not performing my duties as a Unit Maintenance Officer in a manner that pleases you.

At least, someone ought to apologize.

Paul F. Cook, CW3, US Army (Retired)

[52 M-42]

Nope. Just rode in them and drove them. The mission was more important than the truck. We did what we could, they kept running. That was all we asked.

Sorry if your feelings were hurt. No disparagement was intended. The part of the military I saw did not have a lot of parades.

52 M-42

[Elwood]

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions.

Replacing the crossmember as an assembly is an option, although this one is in good condition other than the holes (no rust or damage, and the rivets are all present and tight). Since riveting the replacement to the frame is not something I'm equipped to do, and would likely have a hard time finding a source for in this area, I'd prefer to repair the existing piece. Properly welded, the repair should be as strong as the original.

I had considered sleeving the driveshaft opening, and might still do that, but I'll need the locations, size, and shape of the original holes. Since the engine/transmission/PTO assembly is out of the frame, as is the winch, determining the correct PTO driveshaft angle through the crossmember would be impossible without reinstalling all of those components, which is why I was hoping someone with a bare frame could be of assistance.

I'm not restoring this M37 for show, but as a functional truck, so I'm more concerned about the structural integrity of the frame than about the aesthetics.

[Elwood]

After re-reading the various replies, I'm not sure that it's clear that there should be holes in the engine cross member for the winch drive shaft. Here's an illustration from TM9-8030:



And here's a photo of 52 M-42's frame from another thread (I hope he doesn't mind that I cribbed and annotated his photo, but his frame looks so good... ):



What I'm looking for is the size and location of those original holes (circled in white in the second photo), so that I can restore this cross member ("frame reinforcement" in the illustration) back to at least the factory strength.

[Elwood]

I'm thinking that I can clean up the edges and weld in a filler patch, but I don't know what the dimensions and locations of the original holes should be. If someone has a bare frame at their disposal, would they be willing to make a couple of cardboard templates, referenced on the flange and rivets along the bottom front and rear edges of the crossmember? Or, if someone has a complete and unmolested front crossmember, I'd be open to buying that piece to use as a reference, or maybe as a replacement.

Unfortunately, I'm still looking to make some templates of the front and back sides of the engine crossmember to faciliate my frame repair. It occurs to me, however, that all of the M37 frames are the same, and that a non-winch truck would be an easy source for a pattern, since there's no winch driveshaft to work around.

Anyone in Michigan with a non-winch truck who would be willing to let me crawl around under their M37 and trace a couple of cardboard patterns?

[mix4coal]

Elwood, where are you located in MI? I live in Walled lake MI, You could crawl under mine and trace if your close enough.
Rob

[camoyj7]

There is a guy in Fox Lake IL selling a good frame on Craigslist.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/pts/4777705684.html

[Elwood]

There is a guy in Fox Lake IL selling a good frame on Craigslist.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/pts/4777705684.html

Thanks for the link. I realize that photos can be deceiving, but does that frame look a bit twisted in photo 4?

[002]

My frame is bare (give or take) currently. I'd make a template for you, but in looking at the contour of the cross member a template will be difficult to position correctly in the same location from mine to yours. Pictures would be far easier to transmit and may actually give a better location. Do you think some detailed pictures with a tape measure included would be enough. If so PM a phone number for a text or forward an e-mail address.

Personally I like the sleeve idea. If well done, that would be better then original and it would allow all the clearance you could ever need.

002