Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Waterman
Hi All...Only repair work on the frame its self that had to be done was to straighten out the rear cross frame member which showed the evidence of several occasions of unwise attachment of towing chains. The two tow eyes designed for this purpose had been used to mount the turn signals, something I will correct when I reassemble. I considered two methods of repair, one replace the whole cross member the other was to cut straighten and re-weld, the results of cutting and welding look OK and is probably stronger than trying to replace all the rivets.
Rob (or any body else) did you find any crack problems on the frame that I should examine carefully? The frame seems to be quite rigid not like some frames I worked on where when you support the frame at the four corners you can lift one corner up without lifting any others. My frame passes this test, pick up one corner and other corner at that end comes up as well.
Has anybody found a serial number stamped on the frame of later HUPs my understanding is that it should be on the right side near the spring hanger under the drivers area. But I have not found any sign of a number and the area was still coved with paint. As soon as I update my web page I’ll post the link. Cheers Phil
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Phil,
I have not yet seen a serial number stamped onto a HUP frame. I stripped my frame down to the shiny metal and have been all over it like a fat kid on a candy bar. The only stamping I found was an "S" near the front of the truck on the outside of the frame.
Cracking - check the bolt holes in the frame that are located just under the partition wall of the cab. There is a tendancy for the older HUPs to develop cracks that run from the hole to the short side of the frame.
Rear cross member - my 45's rear cross member was pulled backwards which caused the end of the frame to pinch inwards. One of the previous owners welded a tow hitch to the rear rails and welded two support from the hitch to the inside frame rails just before the cross member. It was evident that they towed more than they should have... It took a bit of heating and hammering to get it back into something that looked OK. Considering that that cross member is rarely seen, a good coat of paint will make it look "normal".
The tow eyes are interesting. You should have gusset plates rivetted to the end of the frame rails. I posted photos of my 45's "eyes" and how I replaced the gusset rivets with round headed bolts. Please post a photo of your "eyes" - I want to see if they were as distorted as my 45's were.
Interesting work and great memories of my early restoration (great now, but not so great then...).