04 f150 frame repair

[Scrapman Industries]

so I'm fixing the frame on this 04 F150. apparently its a 4 door short bed and the first year or two they started with the boxed frames. I woulda just got the kit rust repair techs sell but apparently they only make them for the extended cab not the bigger cab trucks and the safeT cap would end two inches before the holes on this truck even if it did fit. I was wondering if anyone had any links or pictures of an 04 F150 they repaired. the rust holes in this one are running right up by the front rear leaf spring hangers. I already cut out 1/8" plate that I think is gonna hold up but there isn't alot of straight sections on this truck from the factory. the hammer is gonna get a workout with this job. I just wanted to see if anyone had any better plans than what I came up with.

Its not my truck either. If it was I would just cut it in half under the cab and weld in a whole new rear frame half if i was trying to save it. that would probably be easiest that way and I would know it would be done right, but that would cost a good $4-5k for me to even think about touching it if we did it that way. and that would be with the owner taking the truck parts off so I could do the job. I don't think he wants to spend that much. So I'm sorta just gonna piece it together the best I can.

I do also understand that trucks bend and flex and whatnot. I see that the leaf hangers are not welded in certain spots for a reason, So I'm not gonna weld the ends of my plates. If this was a bigger truck or one with a channel frame I woulda had it done already, but ford apparently didn't want people fixing their mistakes anymore so they made it all curvy on this one. and before yall go saying if you gotta ask you shouldn't do it, I'm not one of those guys that just throws scrap on a frame and pulls a trigger hoping it'll hold, I built like 3 trailers myself and none of them broke so far. even with being way over loaded. Two of them were pick up bed trailers as well so I know that I can weld successfully on vehicle frames. I was just trying to see if someone pieced theirs together better than what I came up with.

[Kelvin]

I predict this will not end well.

[Jax]

I predict this will not end well.

For Scrapman,I agree. For some lawyer,it might be a dream come true.

[jakedaawg]

Some pics may help...

[Oscar]

Just a suggestion, but you will likely find more information on F150online.com, ford-trucks.com, or f150forum.com. Doing Google Image search reveals lots of pictures of F150 frame repair on truck forums.

[whtbaron]

Might be time to park that truck for parts and just buy a good one like it. I question if an 04 is worth the amount of work you are proposing to fix it "right".

[VPT]

Don't buy trucks with box frames in the rust belt.

[Bonzoo]

Never ever ever touch a vehicle frame with a welder. If you can drill and bolt some gadgetry on there get after it. You aint in the land of the free. I am. You're in the land of the fee....at-tor=nee. They make way more than us welders

[xryan]

Step one, put the welder away.
Step two, scrap it.
Step three, do a welding job you will actually make money at and not be sued for when customer dumbass does stupid **** and then you become the one defending against the lawsuit.

[Steve B.]

Been doing body work for 40 years and I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. If it has that much rust, it is unsafe to be on the road. A lawsuit waiting to happen IMHO.

[Scrapman Industries]

Step one, put the welder away.
Step two, scrap it.
Step three, do a welding job you will actually make money at and not be sued for when customer dumbass does stupid **** and then you become the one defending against the lawsuit.

most of the time I woulda just bought it cheap, finished cutting the frame in half and trailerized the back half for my own uses and scrapped the front. but since the holes are behind the leaf spring hangers the trailer half would be the one with the holes. I jokingly offered the guy $200 for it but apparently he paid 4k for it and didn't even realize it had holes in it. guess the next one, he won't be so quick to jump on a steal. the scary thing is he was still driving it with the holes in it. he even took it to the dealer and they let him drive it off their property. kinda scary. especially here since you can see the rebar in some of the potholes around here.

[xryan]

Scary.

[Scrapman Industries]

I know they make rust repair kits for certain frames which are simple enough especially on the channel framed trucks and on toyotas but ford has to make everything different. its like these boxed frames were almost designed to rust out and fail. I was talking to a guy that I repair a loader bucket for and his 03 dodge had the same issue. my 02 ford had not a spot of rust on the frame. that was like the last year they did the channel frames. The bed was shot but the frame was still good.

[Kelvin]

my 02 ford had not a spot of rust on the frame. that was like the last year they did the channel frames. The bed was shot but the frame was still good.

03 was the last year for the F-150s using channel...

[farmall]

Frame swaps are common as dirt in the used truck business. I've done several. I wouldn't weld a rust bucket for myself let alone a customer.

Buy donor from Copart auction, Facebook marketplace (lots of deals there) Craigslist etc, strip to rolling chassis, remove cab and bed from truck ya want to save (title passes with cab), mix and stir to taste.

Easiest way is buy a nice truck that needs an engine or trans then loot the rust bucket for those, but it's not worth it to pay someone to do an '04.

[TomP83]

is this a white f150, made 8/03 safetcaps where in the bed of the truck when you got it? low miles owners name starts with J ??

[Scrapman Industries]

is this a white f150, made 8/03 safetcaps where in the bed of the truck when you got it? low miles owners name starts with J ??

I hope the safety caps were not in the bed. Its silver now though so i don't think its the same one. 4 door super short bed. 140k miles or so I think. apparently the guy this guy bought it from said the frame checked out ok. this guy believed him until his mechanic stuck a screw driver through it. I guess now its just gonna be an around the farm truck untill it goes completely and then he'll just part it out. expensive lesson to learn. check them frames before you buy no matter what the rest of it looks like.

[rustybronco]

03 was the last year for the F-150s using channel...

Actually no. Ford produced two different F150's in 2004. One, the heritage, looked just like the 2003 model.

[whtbaron]

I hope the safety caps were not in the bed. Its silver now though so i don't think its the same one. 4 door super short bed. 140k miles or so I think. apparently the guy this guy bought it from said the frame checked out ok. this guy believed him until his mechanic stuck a screw driver through it. I guess now its just gonna be an around the farm truck untill it goes completely and then he'll just part it out. expensive lesson to learn. check them frames before you buy no matter what the rest of it looks like.

Good call.