350 frame

[Granddad]

After fixing the power steering leak and checking all fluid levels I slid under the crawler to see what I need to attach the belly pan. While under there I tightened up a couple of loose bolts. Are the frame rails supposed to be one piece on each side? Mine are in two pieces. It it is a repair, it was done well. The on each side are directly opposite each other probably 2/3 of the way back from front to rear.

Is there supposed to be a joint there or is it a repair? If so, is this normal repair on these old machines?

[pdmech08]

Granddad: Not a factory joint to my knowledge, however, I'm sure I haven't seen it all yet. Not a typical repair either. At least nothing I've seen before. Check all the housing bolts as well as frame bolts for tightness. They are noted for loosening. If you've found a couple loose there's probably more.

[Granddad]

Gave it a good second look with better light and it is a break in the frame just at the cross member. Both sides have broken though probably not at the same time. The left side has a short steel plate welded on the bottom of the frame while the right side has a steel plate held in with one bolt. It will certainly need welding.

Is there a good/better way to repair something like this without pulling the engine, tranny etc?

There are some bolts missing, looks like for a long time. To replace some of them will mean drilling and tapping. Looks like I might be under this thing all spring. In the thread on the 450 frame problems someone mentioned threaded inserts as compared with helicoils. What are threaded inserts? Where would I look for them? Auto parts store, industrial supplyetc? How do you install them? If you have to tap a hole to put them in it looks like tapping for the bolt would be the same amount of work and maybe hold better. I don't know as I've never used them.

[meadova]

Fixed mine a couple of times just seemed to get worse each time. Finally broke down and put 2 new ones on tightened all the bolts and put it back. Bolts from transmission to reverser work loose easily mine were broken so had to fix that too.

[pdmech08]

Granddad; The engine and clutch housing are easy to remove. Once you have the hard nose off there are only 4 bolts that hold the engine in (plus fuel lines, throttle cable, etc.). The frame rails can be removed without removing the engine, but with much more difficulty. The absolute best way to do the job right is to tear it down. Thread inserts are basically a heavy wall sleeve threaded inside and out. In many cases it's not feasable to oversize a bolt 2-3 times the original size. This is when an insert comes in handy. They work very well as long as they are installed properly. Don't be afraid to use Loctite on the fasteners when re-assembling. Inserts can be bought at an industial supply. Most auto parts places won't know what an insert is. If you ask for one, you'd probably get a helicoil. Remember....The second time always costs more and takes longer. Good Luck. Steve