[olddirtyrake]

Just wondering how bad this is and if I should try and weld on some bracer or just do the coating protector? drivers side is fine but this is a pick of the passenger side.

[Precise1]

Visually, I have seen much worse, but you need to go after it with a hammer to find out what is still steel. The fact that the channels are 1/2 filled with rusty looking debris is not positive, but maybe it is a layer of mud protecting everything?

B

[OldSlowReliable]

Go to your local self-wash and really go AT it with the power washer, even maybe take the tires off there so that you can REALLY get in there, thats the only way I got mine relatively cleaned out, spray towards the back if you can get it spraying into the frame, then you may need to take your rear bumper off to get it ALL cleaned out, then tap around with a hammer...

Take some pics so we can see.....I may be doing mine this weekend, so I can take some pics for ya

[Rallybob]

It's probably worse than it looks. I did my rear framerails last weekend. My Pathfinder had been getting 'weird' feeling for lack of a better term. Felt like a convertible crossing railroad tracks, lots of shudder over bumps, etc. I found cracks around the panhard bar mounts on the frame (3/4 of the way around!). Also found that the upper spring perches were at different heights from bending.

I used a needle-scaler to clean off the surface rust, and soon found out that the metal was paper-thin in many places. On the passenger side I ended up replaced 3-sides of the frame rail over a distance of almost 30"! The only intact metal was the top section of the frame, the sides and bottom were essentially gone.

It took me about 4 hours to repair the driver's side, but the passenger side also had rust at the lower trailing arm mount, and the fuel lines were so rusty that when I tried to bend them out of the way all three lines (pressure, return, vent) snapped and started leaking fuel! So I ended up removing the gas tank (PITA with a trailer hitch BTW), and replaced all the flexible hoses, hose clamps, and the metal fuel lines. I used stainless for the hard lines, I don't want to do this again! So the passenger side took me almost three days to complete, working about 5-6 hours per day. This was on my car lift, I can't imagine doing this on the ground.

Bob

[Kittamaru]

This scares the @!*% out of me... I don't have a welder (I hvae a little MAPP brazing kit...) nor do I have the money to get even scrap metal to use for something like this... and I know my frame is rusty, though a few good smacks with the hammer make it sound solid... argh!

[Rallybob]

I downloaded some pics tonight of the frame damage I had. I only realized afterward I didn't take any pics of the repairs on the passenger side. but it was pretty similar to the driver's side.

[adamzan]

How did you weld the hole inside and around the coil spring perch on the inside of the frame?

[Rallybob]

adamzan, on 08 November 2009 - 08:11 PM, said:

How did you weld the hole inside and around the coil spring perch on the inside of the frame?

I welded the inner part of the frame from inside the frame, after the outside skin had been cut off.

[Kittamaru]

Would you care to come and do that for me? I'd pay you of course

[olddirtyrake]

Nice work on repairing your frame. I'm going to start looking at mine as soon as I get these cv's buttoned up. Will post pics as I go

[Precise1]

Nice work!! Interesting that you have the mounts for the rear bump stops installed but have no bump stops installed on them...

B

[OldSlowReliable]

Precise1, on 09 November 2009 - 04:21 PM, said:

Nice work!! Interesting that you have the mounts for the rear bump stops installed but have no bump stops installed on them...

B

alot of those are like that, including mine.

how much of a PITA was it to drop the tank?

This post has been edited by OldSlowReliable: 09 November 2009 - 02:54 PM

[GrimGreg]

Yep, rear bumpstops are rare to see in the midwest:

[Rallybob]

OldSlowReliable, on 09 November 2009 - 05:41 PM, said:

how much of a PITA was it to drop the tank?

In my case a major PITA. I have a trailer hitch in place, the hitch bolts are heavily rusted (won't come off), and when the tank got dropped the gas tank flanges straddled the hitch and the panhard bar. So I had to tilt the tank at a pretty severe angle to remove it. Of course, the tank was nearly full of fuel and awfully heavy. Even with my lift and a tranny jack it was a lot of work.

If I didn't have a hitch it would have been very easy, even the gas tank bolts came right out, and they've got loctite on them from the factory. Nice thing is, Nissan saw fit to make access to the fuel lines and the fuel sender very easy, so I replaced all the hoses and clamps when I re-did the metal fuel lines.

My bumpstops have been missing for a few years now...

[Rallybob]

Kittamaru, on 08 November 2009 - 11:13 PM, said:

Would you care to come and do that for me? I'd pay you of course

I don't think I'll be repairing any Pathfinder frames again! I really hate welding to old rusty metal. At some point I will restore this truck when I have the time and money. It's probably not worth the trouble to do it, but I'm keeping it for sentimental value since it was my sister's. She died about 10 years ago and this is about the only thing I have left to remember her by.

When I go that route, I'm going to build a complete new frame from scratch, and I will lose the torsion bars and go coil-overs up front. All TIG welded (my preference), and welded up on my chassis jig. I figure I can incorporate a body lift directly into the new frame rather than make taller body mounts, and I can strengthen up the known weak areas, as well as completely box the frame (no holes) to avoid water egress. And I'll have the frame powdercoated too.

[MikeV]

I have yet to lay my eyes on this bumpstop thing you speak of!-)

[Precise1]

This MV, I'll sell you a pair...



B

[MikeV]

Thanks B!
Seriously never seen one; was looking at th front ones on my parts pathy and as i touched it; it fell off.
I'll just leave the stock ones on for a while, saving up for another truck. (from out west or down south with real frame so i can maybe SAS one as my next project)

[nismothunder]

olddirtyrake, on 08 November 2009 - 11:17 PM, said:

Nice work on repairing your frame. I'm going to start looking at mine as soon as I get these cv's buttoned up. Will post pics as I go

Get some of the truck too...so I know whatt one I should t-bone if I ever see it...

[Kittamaru]

Rallybob, on 10 November 2009 - 02:00 PM, said:

I don't think I'll be repairing any Pathfinder frames again! I really hate welding to old rusty metal. At some point I will restore this truck when I have the time and money. It's probably not worth the trouble to do it, but I'm keeping it for sentimental value since it was my sister's. She died about 10 years ago and this is about the only thing I have left to remember her by.

When I go that route, I'm going to build a complete new frame from scratch, and I will lose the torsion bars and go coil-overs up front. All TIG welded (my preference), and welded up on my chassis jig. I figure I can incorporate a body lift directly into the new frame rather than make taller body mounts, and I can strengthen up the known weak areas, as well as completely box the frame (no holes) to avoid water egress. And I'll have the frame powdercoated too.

Lol, well, in that case, want to make me a frame too I know HOW to tig weld, but the problem is I dont' HAVE a TIG welder