crack in rad support

[crazzywolfie]

i was wanting some other peoples input on this crack in my rad support. i noticed it a while ago but never thought much of it till today when i notice it had started opening up a bit. was thinking of sandblasting, drilling then welding it up but i was not sure if it will crack again or even why it cracked. i know the supports at the bottom are pretty rusty but didn't think that would hurt it. other option would be to buy a used rad support. managed to find one out of a 84 and the guy is asking $100 but i have no clue what shape it is in. i was wondering what other people thought. also could swap rad supports with my 91 but really like the look of the 81-85 grille.

[minionsram]

If you are good at welding, weld it front and back and blend it with a 180 flap disk. Be sure to disconnect your battery negitive terminal before you weld it though.

[crazzywolfie]

i guess to do that i might have to remove the grille. i was planning on removing the battery all together if i weld it up. also was thinking about completely moving all the wiring harness out of the way to make sure nothing gets burnt.

[SixGun]

I have 2 cracks in my radiator support on the 76 RC.  I wonder how common this is? 

[crazzywolfie]

i don't think it is too common. i was talking to my dad for a bit today and he gave me a bit of an idea. thinking about completely removing the rad support to fix all the rust and then possibly paint it. the only thing that would suck is i would have to clean all the crap out of the driveway and i would be down to driving the ram charger for a while. was also thinking about taking the fenders off while i was at it to fix the rust on them.

[minionsram]

And that is how all projects start. Then you will remove doors to paint, then cab and bed, and "while I'm at it ill do frame" haha

[crazzywolfie]

lol. i don't think i will go that far. as much as i would like to, i only got about a month to go until we start seeing that nasty white stuff and i really don't want to be driving the ramcharger with its short wheel base and higher than normal stance. plus i don't have a garage so i would have to be doing this in my driveway.

[DODGEBOYS]

they only crack when the front body mounts start to go bad / not the very fronts but the ones under your feet

[crazzywolfie]

i guess i should re enforce the mounts i made. i was thinking about slipping some stainless steel plates under them but not got around to it yet.

[mttaff]

I've heard people say you should drill the end of the crack then weld the rest of it.

[crazzywolfie]

thats what i was planning to do.

[80W150]

You don't like driving the RC in the winter because of the wheelbase? Hmm, I liked the way they handle. Set of BFG AT's(32x11.50) and down the road I'd go, in 2wd. Felt solid too. 

[crazzywolfie]

mine seems to have a bit more body roll than i feel comfortable driving with in the winter. the body roll does not seem to be there on my 81. plus my ram charger has way more rust than my 81. the ram charger could use 2 front cab mounts and 2 new floor pans which i can't afford to buy and don't have time to make. over the last couple of weeks it has started getting cold quick and the leaves have been falling.

[minionsram]

I've heard people say you should drill the end of the crack then weld the rest of it.

The reason you drill the end of crack is so when you start welding it the heat will cause the metal to expand. When it's expanding the crack will run ahead of your weld puddle if you did not drill it, or I should say its prone to. You still weld the hole up. The hole is just a relief of sorts.

[crazzywolfie]

 i just know it is suppose to stop the crack from getting longer. i don't know if the heat has anything to do with it. i know i am going to have to lay a couple spot welds before i even attempt to drill just to make sure things don't get worse.