The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Broken Crossmember

I've been using an old 1-ton frame as material for brackets. Yesterday I removed the bellhousing crossmember by removing the rivets.

It was easier than expected because instead of the expected 12 rivets I only had to remove nine...

Right Side
Left Side

In the first picture you see a broken tab still riveted to the frame. In the second you see the crossmember removed with the two tabs missing. (I flipped these pictures over because the stuff was all upside down when I took them.)

I don't have a question because I do not have any plans to use this crossmember. But I thought this worth sharing because this could happen on any truck. Its probably worth crawling under your truck and making sure you don't have any rusty cracks in the crossmembers!

If I remember right, this was a 1949 1-ton with a 216. I know I pulled a 216 out of it at one point in the past.

Steve are you sure you didn't take those pics at my house???
Because that's exactly how my trans cross member looked and came apart., Makes me wonder how many more 1tons are just like that....Joe

Nope, stop by my shop and I'll show it to you.

That's why I posted it... If this one from a 216 powered truck broke like that, how many more, especially in modified trucks, are also broken...

This crossmember is not nearly as thick material as the frame, and I wonder if they used the same crossmember on the smaller trucks. If so, I'd bet many of the stock trucks running around out there are broken!

aint metal fatigue a biotch. My guess is that the suspension and loads on the 1-tons flexed the crossmember vs flexing the frame rails. Then again the trucks did last for 60 years until now.

I would assume that the sharp corner on the flange from stamping produced a stress riser. I would also assume that the cross member height is insufficient for the total load applied, yet the main frame rails are more than sufficient.

Good photo Steve.

Yep, same thing happened to that 1 ton panel chassis I built for BradB. I used a member from a 1 1/2 ton to replace it with I think. The only difference between the different sized trucks is the short pieces, I think the main members are all the same,
Scott