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Box frame rails?

tknight

tknight

Veteran Expediter
Has anyone ever had to repair rusted out frame rails on their box, mine are beginning to rot through and I'm concerned about repairs and the different options .I'm not thrilled about maybe even having to replace my 24' box but that might be an option if I can find a good used one somewhere.
It's just the last 6 ft on each side that is rotting away to rust
 
zorry

zorry

Veteran Expediter
A visit to a truck body repair facility will quickly answer your questions.
Hoffman in Louisville Ky does about anything that can be done.
They made a 26' box into a 20' box for me by removing the front six feet and reattaching the nose.
Nobody ever noticed the modification.
Cost me $1000 about 5 years ago. Body was on the ground awaiting installation.
 
tknight

tknight

Veteran Expediter
zorry said:
Are you talking the little I-Beam looking x members running under the floor ?
Click to expand...

No I'm talking about the main front to rear rails not the cross members that the wood floor rests on. I'll post a pic in the morning when it's daylight.
 
zorry

zorry

Veteran Expediter
Probably jack box up, cut out old, piece in new.

This is why I put plastic fenders on every straight I've owned. Try to minimize the calcium chloride spray.ImageUploadedByEO Forums1401642044.439187.jpg
 
zorry

zorry

Veteran Expediter
Ragman said:
I could swear I saw that truck at the wal-mart on Ford rd in Canton, Mi a few weeks ago.
Click to expand...

Probably not.
I advised the new owner to leave it at Fed.
He was con-vinced he could do well at Nations.

Within weeks his son/co-driver quit and soon he was out of expediting.
The box came off, 5th wheel back on and the 70+ year old owner was back bed-bugging 49 states.
 
scottm4211

scottm4211

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
What year and sleeper set up on that thing? Its awesome.

Sent from my QMV7A using Tapatalk
 
zorry

zorry

Veteran Expediter
That was a 2001 Pete. 258" factory wb. I had that sleeper on a 2001 Western Star that I sold. About a year later It got hit head-on and totaled. Went down and up an 8 foot embankment twisting the frame at firewall and at front of tandem.

Didn't even break a bolt on the ICT sleeper.
I bought the sleeper a year later when a friend found it in a bone yard. ( try THAT with a Bentz !)

Put it on COE I was hauling trucks with and had a true 2 bedroom truck. ( which was nice when I trained my sister.)

When I wanted to expedite all I had to do was add about 18" of frame at back, strip tractor equipment, and bolt on box.
A 34' D unit, with 108" of sleepers getting 10plus mpg. N-14, 10 spd manual.
Awesome truck.
 
Last edited:
zorry

zorry

Veteran Expediter
A few more pics.
Back wall of sleeper, hidden, is stainless steel with recessed LED lights.
It was slick. ImageUploadedByEO Forums1401645192.528666.jpgImageUploadedByEO Forums1401645213.811772.jpgImageUploadedByEO Forums1401645235.977998.jpg

Sadly, probably only pic of Star which had awesome ghost flames.
 
tknight

tknight

Veteran Expediter
I tried to post some pics of the air gaps but for reason they are the wrong format, strange I've changed nothing on my phone ??? Keeps telling me it's not a valid file image
 
zorry

zorry

Veteran Expediter
Regardless, if it's only the last six feet or so of what I think it is it's probably not a major deal for a good weld shop/ body rebuilder.
That's if most of the other metal is intact.
 
tknight

tknight

Veteran Expediter
Going to look it over hard in the morning and do some rust removal to see what the base metal is like I'm figuring they can cut out enough damage and slide in a couple of 6' on each side those getting me a couple of more years use out of this box the rest of the truck is fine I guess Morgan body used a cheap steel rail
 
zorry

zorry

Veteran Expediter
Frankly, calcium chloride and other modern stuff is killing everybody's metal.
Not only what Morgan used.
Morgan is one of the better bodies available today.
 
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