2nd gen frame box plate kit

I find cold rolled to weld much better and generally a better overall finish

 

It is a better finish, and it does take a weld a little better than hot rolled. In the end, It couldn't matter any less for this application.

 

Put me on the list as pending. I'll shoot you over payment when I'm ready, but definitely before the group buy is over.

 

orders will be shipping this Friday, the 8th, as well as monday the 11th of next week. Get your orders in while they're hot!

 

Great! I am ready for these. I never said solid or windowed. I think solid. I can add a few 2" holes for wiring and locker air lines, etc. And have them where I need them.

 

Sounds good.

 

Once the plate is welded to the frame, does anyone bother treating the inside boxed section for rust protection? i.e. painting or cavity wax, etc?

 

I shot a bunch of that rubberized spray liner stuff in there just in case.

 

Pickup a spray can of weld thru primer to coat the inside of the frame plate prior to install if you're worried about it rusting.

 

That will not stop rust, spray can bed-liners are permeable and do not seal. Water will just soak thru the bed-liner, the steel will rust, and the bed-liner will fall off.

 

So it sounds like it's standard practice to just leave the inside of the plates bare. Is that really what everyone does, and just doesn't worry about rust?

 

That's really bad practice as the inside will rust in short order. I would just bake them all to 400* then blast the crap out of them with a few coats of primer, then a few coats of satin or flat black krylon paint. It's amazing how much better paint sticks to metal when it is hot.

You can paint the exposed side facing outwards towards you once it is welded a few minutes after it is welded. Paint will stick just as well.

 

Most of the paint will burn off during the weld though? and it seems pretty damn impossible to get it in there after its welded.....?

 

You have to hire a tiny painter to walk up in there with a flashlight, wire brush and brush on paint. Actually this is where the windowed plates are better, you could blast some undercoating in there for some coverage, plus with the windowed plates the area can dry out. Here in the desert good steel takes decades to rust more than a little bit.

 

I have painted inside the boxed section of the front of our frames. I had to get creative to do it, but I did it very well, and at a cost of under $10. I did it because the frame was welded on, and paint burned off on the inside and surface rust was there after some time.

Without specialized equipment I can't think of a good feasible way to get inside a boxed rear frame like that.

Agree with Desert Drifter that arid climates help slow things down dramatically, so for a lot of us, maybe it's a non-issue.

I am interested in the frame plates, hence my original comment. Just wondering what others have done / were thinking.

 

going to use the weld thru primer on the inside surface before I weld it on because I have a can or two sitting around.

After welding and grinding down the ugliest spots, I will primer and paint the outside including the original frame where is was scorched. Probably use brush on paint to eliminate overspray issues. Still not sure if I will be lifting the bed off for this task, a couple folks have replied that you do not have to pull the bed off, but if it makes for easier welding and following cleanup I will remove it.

Thinking about running EMT conduit inside the boxed section to hold the wiring in place....

 

If all goes as planned we will be cutting and welding plates on my frame this weekend. Where can I buy weld through paint?

 

Any good automotive paint store will have it in stock, somewhere like Library of paint or Space Age, i've got two different brands on my shelf that I sell. Dominion Zinc Weld thru and SEM etch/weld thru. If you can't find it there, try a hardware store, HD, Lowes etc.

Try and avoid 3M products, they suck.

 

Jon, If you know of a welding supply shop near you they may sell weld through primer as well. I have some Eastwood stuff on hand, hope it is still useable. I have bad luck with rattle can paint.