Rusty Frame Repair Dodge Dakota Part 5 - Putting the Truck Together 

Check on the inside rail, too. On mine it was as rusty as the outside. You may need to scab both sides.

My original plan was to do a mitred box section and replace that curved section entirely, but once I had it apart and found that some of it was salvagable, repairing was the much easier way to go. If you are confident in your welds, cutting out and completely replacing the curved section would be the way to go.

@@RobertAdairWorkshop Yea, my position on this keeps changing as I study it more. I think my best bet is to buy an entire frame and splice in the entire thing from the cab --> back. It'll save me days making jigs and stuff trying to locate all of the mounting and hangars. I hate to spend that much, but the truck is worth saving if I can find a decent frame section. I'll just double stack 1/4 or 5/16 scab plates inside and outside then stiffen it with a bolster bar or two. I used to be a fitter back in my younger days, but I haven't welded in a couple of decades. I'm sure whatever I do will end with the truck weighing an extra 200 pounds... I tend to over-do stuff. I'll eat the weight if it guarantees I'm never having to go back in there again.

Thank you. They're worth savings if you can catch it before the frame is too far gone.

I pulled mine out of a field where it was abandoned in 2006. It was completely destroyed by mice. But I brought it back from the grave. Given how expensive trucks are, these are worth saving. You should consider buying something like a Lincoln Weld-pak and giving welding a shot. You might take to it like a duck to water.

Thanks for the kudos on the welding. I'm self taught with flux core, but self taught over 20 years, so I almost know what I'm doing with it. I bought the steel on eBay. I couldn't find anything locally. I searched for "3/16 steel plate" and bought one, I think, 12" x 24" . If I were to do it again, I'd go with 1/8" steel instead. I had to bevel the edges of the 3/16 quite a bit to get it to the same thickness as the frame.

Glad it helped. Good luck!

Yeah, you could do a full frame swap if needed. It's a lot of labor. Probably at least a week's worth. Toyota did a recall on certain year Tundras and will replace the frame. I had a friend go through it and they had his truck for two weeks. The bigger issue, though, is finding a good rust-free frame and then keeping it rust-free once you install it under the truck. Doable, but expensive. I am happy with my '99 and plan to keep it as long as I can. I've goot probably 30 years in me, maybe 35, before I won't be able to drive anymore. I'm sure it'll last that long. The hard part keeping a vehicle on the road is replacement parts. Not common things like cylinder heads or tires, but things like seats, radios, interior trim, exterior items like mirrors or door handles. Those get harder and harder to find as the vehicle ages. I do keep an eye on eBay and every once and a while, someone will sell off a bunch of NOS parts. I snag them if they are something I think i'll need and keep a pile of spares in the shop. The newest car I own, currently is a 2009 Subaru. Everything else is from the late 90's or early 2k's. It was a good time for auto manufacturing. Especially the pre 9/11 stuff, IMHO. I don't much care for newer cars, either. Safety updates would be good but I agree with the software/subscription/tracking aspect of them and I have no real desire to ever get anything newer. So yeah, you can do a frame swap if you can find a frame, can afford it, and have the space to do it. And there's no reason you can't keep a 2005-2011 model going for many, many years, provided you can find parts.

@@RobertAdairWorkshop Excellent reply! Thank you! I'm glad to hear you understand my position as well. Actually, I'm thinking of buying a second 2008 Dodge Dakota just like the one I have and eventually, once my first one is no longer road worthy, just keeping it in my yard for spare parts, just like the ones you mentioned. I'm glad to hear my thinking on this isn't crazy.

Well, if you ever find yourself in Denver and have a month's worth of downtime . . . I can help!

You were all over it! Thanks Anthony. It's really good to have it back on the road.

Sounds a lot like mine. 1999, 5.2 and I have a new transmission on the bench. I gave it some thought. Could you cut out the rot, clean it up real nice, and bolt two plates together, sandwiching the original frame between them? A 3/8 steel plate on the outside and a 3/16 or 1/4 plate on the inside. If you get 6 bolts in front of the rust, at/near the leaf spring perch, and 6 bolts behind the rust, into the back half of the frame, it ought to be strong enough.

@@RobertAdairWorkshop and duh..5.2. great info sir

I don't remember, honestly. Grade 12.9 bolts. I went metric as they best fit the hole. Fine thread, I think. Maybe 80-ft bls on the frame bolts and 100 ft-lbs on the leaf spring perch bolts. I think they were 12mm and 14mm collectively but I'd have to double check.

Okay thanks man your videos have been a tone of help been working on pretty much the same project

I can't. I'd cost way too much. But you can. Find a welder, spend some time practicing, then go for it. It'll give you the chance to fix it, learn a skill and you'll feel amazing satisfaction when done. I took a welding class at my local community college many, many years ago, which is how I learned. I use that skill frequently now. You can do it.

Hey Paul! These are 10.9 metric bolts. 12mm for the leaf spring perches and 10mm for the crossmember. I torqued the larger to 85 ft-lbs and the smaller to 36 ft-lbs. These are both lubricated thread torque specs since I waxed them. If dry, they'd be 106 ft-lbs for the larger and 60 ft-lbs for the smaller. I did forget, momentarily, that the lubricated torque spec is lower and had to replace the four bolts on the passenger side as I over torqued them initially.

@@RobertAdairWorkshop great work!