Frame longevity?

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mrbeetle

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Howdy! New to the forum, so sorry if this isn't posted in the right place, but I have an odd question:
I'm considering buying an Advance Design truck and turning it into a crew cab truck (bear with me, I know this is a GMT400 site). To do this I would most likely buy two 1 ton or bigger trucks. The end goal is to have a daily driver that has room for the family and can tow my 25' enclosed car trailer about 10X a year (10K axles). The '47-'55 trucks that I'm thinking of had straight axle, leaf spring, drum brake front ends...not ideal for what I want. I dont think that a Mustang II or Dakota front suspension would be appropriate swaps for a vehicle that will be used as a TRUCK. I know the old truck frame is a flat ladder type and the GMT400 has a low spot for the cab, but swapping to a GMT400 crew cab frame would give me a heavy duty frame with modern suspension and driveline. I realize that this would take serious fabrication, but finally brings me to my question:

Most of the crew cab trucks I'm finding have high miles on them. Other than inspecting for cracks or crash damage, is there a limit to how long these frames will be reliable for towing and daily driving? For example, I found a crew cab C3500 454/4L80E with about 350,000 miles on it; I would be rebuilding the entire driveline and suspension anyway so does the mileage matter? When I say "rebuilding the entire driveline" I mean rebuilt engine, trans, rear end, springs, shocks, etc.

Yes, a new to me/ used truck would probably cost less, but I'm sick of all of the computers in new cars and figure I can build exactly what I want for less than a brand new truck. (Flame suit is on, lemme have it)
 

Supercharged111

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Unless the frame is damaged or was overloaded and fatigued I don't see why it would ever expire so to speak. The ore that the frame was made from is as old as the earth itself.
 

lxe4

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your concern is not unfounded. I deal with lots of antique aircraft that have been over loaded and beat on their entire lives, mainly in the 40-70 year range. structural problems are seldom discovered and are usually traced to some kind of crash or corrosion weakening an area. problems are discovered and parts repaired or replaced. also aluminum work hardens relatively quickly compared to steel and stainless steel. As long as there aren't weakened areas from serious corrosion or other damage i dont see fatigue being an issue on these units for a looooooooooong time under normal use at rated loads, and especially at far less than rated loads. empty weights are much less of a concern on a land based craft so the insurance afforded by overbuilding a frame to avoid the whole toyota recall situation is pretty cheap and consequence free. I would say look for serious corrosion issues and mechanical damage, spend some good money on a really good clean up and prep for a good paint system and keep an eye on it from time to time. if you get a good crack somewhere you will more than likely notice a change in the truck. crunching sounds or movement that didn't used to be there. keep your loads close to the factory ratings and dont rally race with a full load, should be fine for a good long time
 

strikk

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Usual areas of rust for these are above the rear axle and the boxes section up front below the firewall. If they are solid in those areas and there are no obvious signs of abuse a wire wheel and fresh coats of paint go a long way in making it last about 20 years
 

RichLo

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Yea definitely post some updates for us as you go!

Another thing to consider since your going full frame-off would be to box the frame. Either by just welding a plate into the C section of the frame or I have seen two frames welded together to essentially get 2x+ strength and rigidity.

The double frame would take way more fab to get everything placed and working like it should again but would give you total piece of mind for the rest of the trucks life.
 

454cid

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Usual areas of rust for these are above the rear axle and the boxes section up front below the firewall. If they are solid in those areas and there are no obvious signs of abuse a wire wheel and fresh coats of paint go a long way in making it last about 20 years

They will rust in front of the control arms too. I haven't noticed significant rust in the unboxed sections at all. My sample size is pretty low, Though.
 

skylark

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Just get the 3500hd. Don't confuse it for the regular 3500. Yes it is a solid front axle but it comes rated for 15k, has a ladder frame with standard 34" rails and it will handle what you want.
 

94_Z71

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I used POR-15 on my frame. Put it on my '96 about four years ago. No signs of rust since. It's a great product. Just really messy to put on. And make sure you don't get any on your skin. Once it's on your skin, it ain't coming off for three or four days.
 
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