filling all of the extra holes in the frame?

[roj2323]

HUGE UPDATE BELOW--- updated again, see page 2

ok my father thinks i'm nuts and well i've concidered that myself but i would like to smooth out my frame and fill all of the excess holes. i was wondering if you guys had any thoughts ideas or referances to share with me. for the smaller holes i'll probably just weld them in but what about the larger ones? should i cut plugs and if so how? i don't have accsess to a plasma cutter

thanks for reading,
ondrew
p.s i'm the nut who wants to completely confuse everyone.

[Frizzle Fry]

Peel the paper off a crayon, place a blank piece paper over the hole and rub the side of the crayon over it to make the outline (stencil). Cut out the shape and glue it to your flat stock. I'd use a band saw and grinder to clean it up.

[Hart_Rod]

Dude you are crazy! Do you realize how many holes are in the frame?! Just kidding. It's a lot of work, that most people won't appreciate. If you do it, do it for your own gratification. Good luck.

Rob

[dwcsr]

I just finished doing mine. It is a lot of work and grinding. Use a hole saw and cut some 1/8" or 3/16"sheet to the size or next smaller size. get some coat hanger wire and just tack a piece to it for a handle. You can also use round stock and cut plugs with a saw. You'll be a better welder when your done.

If you boxed the frame leave some drain holes in the bottom so if water does get in it can get out.

[roj2323]

thanks for the advice guys. it may be a little underapreceated but i'm a perfectionist. i'm even going to smooth out the bottom of my cab so it looks like one peice.

anyone else have ideas they want to share?

the crayola idea is pretty good btw.

ondrew

[cdowns]

some people like holes in the frame

[roj2323]

if i wasn't worried about twisting the frame i might concider it. =)

[Izzy]

If they're fairly small you can place a piece of copper behind the hole and just weld it up.

[roj2323]

actuly there is 71 holes that are larger than 1/2in but i agree alot will be welded in. what's with the copper? won't i melt it?

[Izzy]

Originally Posted by roj2323

actuly there is 71 holes that are larger than 1/2in but i agree alot will be welded in. what's with the copper? won't i melt it?

No the wire won't bond to copper it also absorbs quite a bit of the heat.

[chevy_fatman]

Is your truck going to be a show truck where the bed lifts to ahow all the rear suspension and carriage? You can't see much of the frame with the body on, specially if the truck is lowered
I am too a perfectionist, but that's a lot of work for people to see your truck and don't even see what all you did to the frame, I wouldn't do mine maybe it it was only for personal gratification and had lots of spare time

[chevy_fatman]

BTW when doing the copper trick, make sure you hold it with a pretty thick glove

[a squarecan]

Well I will drop my 2 cents in while everyone is at it...

I am a perfectionist myself but you are insane filling all the holes in the frame, but if you wanna do it more power to you. I will just tell you it would be easier and faster to build a custom frame though. You could even eliminate the need for a body drop if you wanna lay rocker by using 2x3 or 3x3 box tubing.

BTW the copper works very well! but as mentioned use very thick gloves or some locking c-clamps work good as well.

Best of luck with what ever you decide to go!

Keith

[LONGHAIR]

The copper thing is a crutch......You get used to it and then you have trouble learning to do it right. It only works on places where you can get to the back side anyway. You are better-off cutting plugs for the bigger holes and just welding the smaller ones shut.

Just tip your mig gun into the hole and run a bead on the opposite edge....do not try to go all of the way around in one pass, it will over-heat and fall out.
Go about half way and start on the other edge. By the time you get back to where you started it will have cooled enough. Then repeat this process until you get close enough to bridge the gap..........done, with minimal grinding.

[roj2323]

Insight to my insanity:
The reason/ goal of my truck is to provide a mildly custom ride refined the way it should have been from the factory. Mainly this involves smoothing out all of the seams and joints throughout the truck as well as filling in "shaving" all unnecessary holes. I’m also trying to keep the truck Chevy. This is why I’m using the frame and shaving the holes as well as why I’m not shaving the dash I’m exchanging it for a 64-66 one. Other things I’m doing upgrade wise are things that if GM could have afforded it might have done. This includes things such as stainless steel hardware and brake lines. Truthfully the only actual customs on my truck will be the rear disk brackets, a rear frame cross member, inboard heater control box, radiator, fuse box, and a frame mounted gas tank. Everything else will be stock or modified GM parts.

Update!

Well I got impatient and welded all but the large holes at the back of the frame and the oblong chain hook holes. The exterior of the frame is ground smooth and looks 1000 times better than the Swiss cheese look. I still need to grind and fill in the low spots on the insides of the frame rails but all in all I’m very happy with how it's going. So far I’ve spent 8hrs doing this and I figure it will be 2 more 8hr days to wrap things up. When I go to paint the frame I will have to use a little bit of filler since the welded in areas are a hair low after grinding but that’s really minor compared to the gaping holes that once littered the frame.
Now this isn’t to say that there isn’t going to be any unused holes in the frame. I am leaving 4 tow hook holes 2 in the front and 2 in the back. I’m also leaving extra holes for the trans cross member, shift linkage as well as the extra holes in the front cross member "k-member". Doing this will allow me change transmissions and engine mounts if need be.

Here are a few pics of the sub-par rotisserie as well preview image of the shaved holes.

The welded in holes and a perk. I found 3 sets of numbers on my frame. More on that later:


The rotisserie. It works well if you only want to tip the frame to a 02-80deg angle. I’ll be redesigning them later to make flipping the frame easier but hey they were built from free scrap.


A close up


Here’s something I did earlier in the year but its related. Note the missing flap of metal.

Ondrew

[Frizzle Fry]

Where are you ganna store all your road debris? That stuff is there for balast...

Looks good. I think it'll be worth it in the end. Doesn't look like you're in a hurry, so why not?

[roj2323]

lol how true. i wasn't too fond of the miniture pond/oil trap i had on the k-member when i got it. to be honest though shaving the extra metal off of the k-member only took me about 3 hours. it actuly would have been 1000 times faster if i had used a torch and known about flap disks back then. oh well maybe next time.

ondrew

[Izzy]

Be sure and skim coat(w/ filler) the filled holes if you paint/powder coat the frame. I've seen a few frames that didn't and you could see the flap disk marks and holes still.

[Frizzle Fry]

I didn't think you could powder coat over filler? I don't think it can take the 400+ degree bake out. I could be wrong... If you can, that opens some options for me

[70short/step]

Originally Posted by Frizzle Fry

I didn't think you could powder coat over filler? I don't think it can take the 400+ degree bake out. I could be wrong... If you can, that opens some options for me

I was wondering the same thing when I read that above your post. Filler @ 400 degrees seems like it would ooze a little!
BTW roj, Like the make-shift rotisserie! Would of never of thought of that!

[LONGHAIR]

Plastic filler won't stand powdercoating.....lead/body-solder will though, if you really need to be that intense. You could also just do more metal finishing before finish coating.

[roj2323]

well i actuly purchased the lead tuesday. i'm still not sure if i'm going to paint or powedcoat the frame though. i'm concerned about chipping and cracking.

btw anyone know where i can get a set of leading paddles and possibly a how to book or video? i all ready have the lead, flux and wax.

ondrew

[Frizzle Fry]

The Eastwood Company. I was thinking about getting some of their "lead-free body solder" Kinda pricey though.

[LONGHAIR]

Wax?.............I've always used tallow. It doesn't set as hard and melts very well. It seems to burn off rather than building up and getting sticky. I just melt it into an aluminum bread pan. When it is all liquified it will naturally level out and solidify as it cools. Then you can just run your torch over the surface to make a pool enough to use w/o wasting any.
Yes Eastwood for the paddles. Get extras so that you can sand them to the shape you need. It is far easier to push the lead around with a paddle of the right shape.

[roj2323]

yea what ever the the body shop supply had is what i bought. it came in a bread pan so it was probably tallow. good pointer on the paddles will do.
ondrew