Odd Frame Repair?
 

I have the engine and trans out of my 37 coupe. Resealing, replacing original wiring, etc. Cleaning the frame of oil and grease and I am puzzled as to why someone would have welded what looks like the upper spring leaf to the frame. You can see that the front crank pulley at one time was hitting the spring
U bolts and wore a groove in them. When I pulled the motor, I did notice the wear on the u bolts, but the pulley was not rubbing at that time. The top and sides of the frame look good with no signs of damage. Has anyone seen this done before? Want to take a guess as to why someone did this? I am at a loss.

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

The spring seat in the front cross member was cracked

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Maybe they were going to put one of those dreaded Chevy motors in the car.

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

I had a '36 Coupe that had a cracked front crossmember that was similar to that. I replaced the entire crossmember with a new one from "Precision Coachworks" of Billerica, MA (unfortunately they are no longer in business, though I have heard that "Joe's Auto Parts" may have picked up some of their function).

This appears to be a less elegant version of that repair. The spring leaf is there to provide reinforcement and something to weld to. It looks like a fairly serviceable repair.

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Thanks Kurt, Is this a common issue with these frames?

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Think about how different the roads of today are as compared to the past -- these cars took a beating as compared to what we're all used to now.

If that was my frame, I would cut/remove that ugly piece of spring to see what the situation is underneath. The weld job on it is a mess anyway . . . just the best somebody could do with whatever welding equipment and skills the possessed.

Then you will need to fix the issue on the original cross-member and/or replace it. Given that you have things torn down to this level - now is the time to deal with some of the "sins of the past". ;)

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

It was semi common through 1934. Quite odd on a '37.

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

I could not agree more. NOS cross members are "out there" as well as good-used.

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Am I corrrect to assume the front cross member, 1937-1940 are the same?

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Haha! That looks GREAT compared to what my '35 pickup looked like. I ended up replacing the cross member.

Heard

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Yes I do admit to welding a leaf spring on top, back many moons ago , it was a 34 . Used my dads Ac/Dc stick welder .

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

It could be that they used good old "Yankee Ingenuity" and used what they had laying around. Do you know if the spring patch is from the top leaf of your spring?

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Nope.

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

My 35 was bad in the same area, when i was 12 yrs old i riveted in a good used replacement, still looks good today.

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

I do appreciate all the information and advice. If I was doing a frame off restoration on this car, which I am not, I would replace the crossmember. Looking at what I would need to remove from the front-end sheet metal, spring, etc. to accomplish the replacement, is just more involved than I can do at this time. At this point in my life, with several more working years to go before I retire, I just want to get the car back on the road. I've owned it since 2019 and put several thousand trouble free miles on it. It's far from perfect but is presentable and a great solid driver that I enjoy. Thanks, Nate Anello

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Good attitude! I would remove the U-bolts, grind the welds a bit to smooth it out, treat and paint to prevent rust and go with it. The engine completely hides that area anyway.

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

What are the differences?

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

NICE!!!

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...9&d=1715711047

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

The way I understand it these frames are designed to flex in order to take the twisting force of the transverse spring.
There is a woven pad between the spring and crossmember that helps take the load off the crossmember.
When this is left out the repeated loading becomes enough to fatigue and crack the crossmember.
I would repair the crossmember with new metal and replace the woven pad.
The crossmembers are hot riveted in place, they are held extremely tight, any replacement process will need to produce the same rigidity or the joint will eventually come loose.

By the way that is a beautiful car, Autumn brown is one of the nicest colours of that year model.

Geoff

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

My 41 pickup had a really bad front crossmember, heavily fatigued with big cracks and loose pieces. Rough roads played their part and many old cars and trucks were ran with bad or no front shocks which would have made it worse. No shocks on my truck when bought.

Re: Odd Frame Repair?
 

Not unheard of on original '32 front cross members. A service cross member with a riveted-in doubler was offered in '33.