Steering box cracked frame repair?

Yo,
Steering Box Frame Crack Repair
Source: by Ford @ http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/520094/fullsize/steeringcrack.jpg
Slow to open
"The following areas of the frame should be checked before performing a steering gear frame liner repair: the frame rail near the steering gear top and bottom flanges, and the frame rail at the steering gear bolt heads. If there are cracks in these areas of the frame, the frame must be replaced. Inspect the mounting surface of the steering gear for signs of motion, loose rivets or cracks. Removal of the steering gear may be necessary to check for cracks in the frame liner. If the frame liner is cracked or has loose rivets, repair the liner by using Frame Repair Kit E6TZ-5K130-A. If necessary a steering gear liner to frame, rivet repair can be made by using the procedures described in the illustration.

Rivet Removal and Replacement
1. Drill a 1/8-inch hole through rivet.
2. Redrill the hole through the shank of the rivet with an 11/32-inch drill.
3. Use an air chisel to remove rivet head.
4. Drive out rivet with a punch or other suitable tool.
5. Line drill one 7/16-inch hole marked "V" to 9/16-inch diameter.
6. Install one 9/16-inch bolt in the direction shown in the first illustration.
7. Position bolt head on top (next to crossmember) with hex head flat to the rear to provide best clamping.
8. Install one 9/16-inch washer nut side only and one 9/16-inch nut. Tighten to 190 N-m (140 ft-lb).
NOTE: Tack weld the nut to the bolt as shown in the second illustration..."
Gear box loose on frame.
Action(s) to Take:
* Check bolts for damage and replace as required. If bolts are not damaged, tighten mounting bolts (3) to 68-84 N-m (50-62 ft-lb)."
...

Ford did provide info for 96 F350 though;
"Steering Gear Frame Liner Service, F-350
Cracks may appear in the frame (5005) at the frame side rail (5015) near the steering gear (3504) or steering gear bolt heads, or in the steering gear frame liner. "

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Member Gacknar proposed "From the steering box neck to the upper most drop bracket bolt in the crossmember. Not nearly as steep of an angle as the Jeep brace. There is about a 1" drop from the steering box to the bolt in the crosmember and the bar would agle back about 2" to meet the crossmember. If I used rod ends and a strap at the steering box would this increase the strength under compresion?"
Steering box reinforcment bracket.
Here is the crack in his 86;
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/498311/fullsize/crack-1.jpg
Gacknar did build & installed the bar.
"1/4" angle bolted on with the two bolts you see facing you for the pass side (Drivers side beam) drop bracket, with a gusset welded in it between the bolts. The plate that is clamped to the box is also 3/8", the tube is just something my neighbor had laying around.
Please note, the steering stabilizers have been removed for fabrication, but will be reinstalled later. Thats what the brackets are with nothing on them.
This is from the ground looking up. Are you seeing the triangle?
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/919577/fullsize/dsc06241.jpg
It works.
With A broken weld, and a lower rivet looser than a slinky, ALL the forward frame horn flex is gone.
The bad news
There is still a very slight amount of flex at the crosmember behind the steering box. I believe this is due to the small U-bolt I am using. I am going to get a more robust U-bolt.

While a crossmember in front of the steering box would not hurt, It may not be enough to stop the lower forward rivet from coming loose. The truck I had posted in post #32 had a tube welded from frame horn to frame horn when it was repaired the third time. It still tore itself apart again because they never fixed the actual cause, a loose crossmember rivet. But that's on a truck that already had the problem, and was being repaired by people who did not understand what the cause of the failure was.
The forward lower driver side crossmember rivet was loose.
I am going to try again to see if I can replace the rivet with a bolt. For some reason I had it in my head that you could not do it without removing the spring bucket, but the TSB Steve posted does not mention removing it and makes it look like you can replace it fairly easily.
1983 Ford Bronco 97-03-10 Frame Noise pictures, videos, and sounds | SuperMotors.net
1983 Ford Bronco TSBs & FSAs (Recalls) for '83-96 Broncos & F150s picture | SuperMotors.net
Replaced the loose rivet with a 9/16" bolt per the TSB from Ford.
Between that and the brace there is no movement, of any kind, anywhere.
So, getting the rivet out was a total pain in the but! Grinding the head off was easy, but it just would not knock out. I ended up having to drill three increasingly larger holes all the way through it before it finally knocked out.
Next step was to drill out the hole to 9/16ths"
(Took me a half day to find a drill bit that size)
Next you have to finagle the bolt in from the closed off side of the frame. I ended up pulling it through with a piece of fishing line and working it into a vertical position with a screw driver, then lightly tapping the head until enough of it was through the hole to pull it through.
Then, if you get everything just right you can just barely get a box end wrench in there to hold the head of the 9/16" bolt wile you tighten the nut down to 140ft/lb. Tada! You have replaced your loose rivet with a 9/16" bolt per Fords TSB.
Pics @ 1986 Ford Bronco steereng box bracket pictures, videos, and sounds | SuperMotors.net

Jopes had a 78 and wrote, "hard to see mine. but it goes from the coil tower past the front of the ps box. 3/8" plate. welded all the way around. my frame ripped as well." http://www.1ton4x4.com/steering/DCP_6921.JPG
Some owners have reported same cracks in their Broncos from 1978 through 1996.

GKR did this in his 96 Bronco;
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/428563/fullsize/dscn1339.jpg
"I just formed a strap with a really tight fit around the steering box and the flat channel meets with the flat spot on the box. Couldn't think of another way to grab ahold of the box."
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/428564/fullsize/dscn1340.jpg
I believe some Jeeps were retro-fitted with brace bar, but they had a front cross member to attach one end of the bar.

Based on the above it sounds like most people just need to replace their frames

That's a good idea adding a steering box support. I'll have to do more reading in those links above. My truck has a big plate welded across both frame horns in the front. Looks like maybe it was used for a winch mount at some point. I could potentially secure a steering box brace to that.

So let me ask a silly question. Does all the reinforcement with fishplates need to be done on the inside of the frame rail? Extra metal outside the frame rail would move the steering box out by the thickness of the material used, and that would seem to be a bad thing to me....

If we are talking about using something to wrap around the bottom side of the c channel to cover that crack, could angle iron be used if the corners were nice and rounded? Seems like a piece of angle could be placed there, but not sure about the inside of the channel. Looks like that would be hard to do from the inside.

Just thinking out loud here... I haven't even removed the box yet to see just how bad the cracking is.

Hillbilly Heaven said:

The plate should be on the outside. Using angle iron is not a good idea. You want the face plate and wrap under to be all one piece. You only going to move the box 3/16". You will only have to lengthen the drag link. There should be plenty of adjustment in the link ends.

Click to expand...

Sounds good.

You know of any pictures of a repair like this on a 78-79? With as common as it seems to be I'm surprised no one makes a pre-formed plate to cover that area (or maybe they do??). That will be the tricky part...actually making a plate that is formed that way. Angle iron was just the closest thing I could think of, but I guess at the bottom of the channel you want it to be formed such that it closely matches the contour of the frame, and angle iron in general wouldn't be wide enough to do it in one piece anyway and stand a chance of covering the area where the box mounts.

I'll have to check that rivet situation as well that @miesk5 pointed out. That could also get done while I'm at it if it is indeed loose. The front crossmember that was used for a winch mount is pretty beefy. I'd think that would help some with flex. Wonder if the cracks formed before or after the additional crossmember was added?

SHR3DD3R 09 said:

@miesk5 the link to this picture does not seem to be working for me. See below.
Jopes had a 78 and wrote, "hard to see mine. but it goes from the coil tower past the front of the ps box. 3/8" plate. welded all the way around. my frame ripped as well." http://www.1ton4x4.com/steering/DCP_6921.JPG
Some owners have reported same cracks in their Broncos from 1978 through 1996.
Also, does that TSB you posted also apply to 78-79 trucks? It looks like it is specifically for 83-96 model years.

Click to expand...

Yo,
"This problem began in mid-year 1969 (from serial number D96,001), when Ford switched from the Bendix to the Ford P/S gearbox.
This problem affects all 1969/79 2WD's, 1977 F250 4WD's (not High Boys), 1978/79 4WD's and 1978/79 Bronco's.
The original bolts were undersized and too short, the nuts worked loose, the gearbox wiggled around...soon the frame cracked. Not pleasant!
Ford came out with larger & longer bolts (387529S2 9/16" -18 x 4 1/2") and new lock nuts, then the dealers welded a re-enforcement plate over the damaged area.
And...what the heck do you think body shops and front end shops do when frames are damaged, and/or crossmembers need to be replaced?
New parts are welded in...from day one thru today..." by Bill Retired Ford Parts Manager @ Frame repair at steering box - Ford Truck Fanatics
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Jopes hasn't logged in here since last a year ago in March so I couldn't ask for the pic's New URL. He wrote elsewhere, "I had that happen on a 78 bronco. I ground out the cracks, welded then ground them smooth. Took a piece of 3/8 plate and drilled the holes and fitted it on the frame. Welded it all the way around the frame and never had to worry again" & "When I put the plate on mine. I ran it hard wheeling it including rolling it down a near vertical drop of 30 feet and it never had a issue. IT did grenade the steering box in the roll over though." In steering frame crack thread @ steering frame crack