Sluice mod

Sometimes you want to clean the inside of your truck's frame. With this mod you can.

Just in front of the forward leaf perch is a 1/4" hole, slightly off center on the lower frame surface. Use this hole as a pilot and, with a 3/4" hole saw, drill through the frame and de-burr the edges.



This is what it should look like. Repeat for the other side.

With a garden hose, spray forcefully through all the frame openings (there are plenty), in all directions. The new opening complements another further forward and lets you sluice all the sand and mud out of there. I caught the effluent from my frame in a bucket:



If there is any road salt in there, or alkaline lake bed dust, you want it out.

After the frame dries, you can spray fluid film (or equivalent) through all the same openings.

 

That's actually really slick. Looks like a great way to keep our frames fresh.

 

Just discovered this after I did it myself this weekend. People should do this more often… you would be surprised to see how much crap comes out of there…. especially with no mud flaps and common wheeling in mud/silt.

 

good work documenting it. what did you use as your frame sealant - fluid film?

 

I don`t even drive off road but at job sites and the dirt in the frame before increasing the size of the drain holes and adding a few more was quite interesting

 

I would be more concerned about drilling large holes in the frame (weakening it ), than an accumulation of crud.

 

I would agree but knowing factory tolerances are usually set higher to CYA (and by "Y" I mean "there" ass) I would think a whole here and there wouldn't compromise frame rigidity overall! But I'm no subject expert on this topic so.....

Rad share OP , Thx for this.

 

One thing I didn't mention that is noteworthy is that a bunch of seeds and other plant material came out of the frame, too, floating to the top of the bucket. Even if you keep to the established trails, as I do, the fluffy stuff gets in there and I have no doubt that it helps plug the factory openings.

I use fluid film in a spray can. It's convenient.

 

Round holes will not compromise the frame.

Many trailer manufactures use holes in the frame to keep the weight down

Now if by large you mean @65mm or larger that could be a little big

 

thanks for alerting me to this topic

anybody else out there have this mod going on?

 

I stand by my opinion after these years that it's still a great strategic place for a larger hole that is shown to allow further drainage and cleaning ability for the inside. Enlarging that hole will not compromise any durability on the frame either.
Dunno, if I alerted you onto this(but if I did, cooli can't claim its my idea though lol), but it definitely wouldn't hurt a thing to do and would allow better cleaning as a way to prep for treating inside with a fluid film or similar

 

Why make hole bigger, when you can make hose smaller?

 

That's a great idea as well. As long as you don't live in a condo and have a garden hose and outside spigot access

 

Hmmm. I dunno. I've always found that the holes in the sides of the frame are big enough to squirt a power washer through at the car wash. Usually you can angle it one direction or the other and flush out the frame really well.

 

clogged hole at the salvage yard
in a different location but similar

 

With enough pressure, it won't be clogged for long.

 

Oh I was juts playing devils advocate as I have access to a hose and do clean my frame well. And I use that nipple style attachment too. The inside frame crap settling is what I really make sure to clean. But def most important is to get that inside clean and sitting without silt, chemicals, salt, etc

 

very good point

 

I mean yeah surface rust is bad but it is just surface rust. The stuff that sits hiding on the inside is sitting there oxidizing away and doesn't stop until removed. Get yourself a cheap smartphone borescope attachment that has led lights on end from Amazon for like 10 bucks and actually look inside. Remove any doubt or mystery of what we're dealing with. Easy peasy.

 

i can feel loose and crunchy paint in there along the bottom, not sure exactly where its coming from, if its just around the drain holes or not
the magnet on a stick has already pulled out a bit of paint and crumbs after power hosing it, but I am going to use an air hose next to see what happens

these paint chips flake off and cover up the small drain holes