Need advice is this frame cracked?

[J_C]

I think more pictures of the underside would help make a decision. My roommate had an 89 F250. It sat in Iowa out in the snow for 1 winter. The frame looked a lot better than that explorer. After we took the bed off, me jumping on a crossmember was enough to break it. The motor rotted from the inside out. Went to change the spark plugs and the heads were so rusted that chunks of the head came out attached to the spark plugs. When something rusts from the inside out, it doesn't look bad until its too late to do anything about it.

That's more than one winter worth of rust. My '98 has stayed out in snow for at least the last half dozen winters, as well as formerly being a daily driver every weekday in winter, and no engine rusting from the inside out. Spark plug changes were uneventful.

Trying to remember the things I've had to repair so far due to rust, or are pending doing... Not necessarily in this order:

- Rocker Panels and Doglegs were done by a shop a dozen years ago, and now need done again.
- Rear cargo floor pan has a hole behind the wheel well.
- Every time I take the rear shock, lower bolt out, it's seized and shears off.
- Front sway bar links, bolt rust through
- Rear shock mount/spring-seat rust through.
- Rear spring shackle rust through
- Brake Line rust through
- Tire winch, rust seized, was salvageable cleaning/lubing/painting
- Exhaust Heat Shields (thin, welded on type) Welds broke, were strapped back on.
- Cat-back exhaust rot

Besides the rocker panels and doglegs, the rest of the body has no rust that I've noticed, frame isn't particularly bad, and I wonder if the rear shock crossmember will fail before the frame, particularly because it's become part of my rear suspension, handling more load due to my Monroe coil-over load adjust shocks... which accelerated the demise of my rear shock mount/spring seats too but they are far, far easier to replace, being a small, bolt off/on part that is available for purchase, while the crossmember will have to be fabricated from scratch.

 

[Josh P]

That's more than one winter worth of rust.

We know it was only 1 winters worth of rust. It was an AZ truck that my roommate drove to IA so he would have something to drive when he wasn't working. His boss hid the truck in a field, changed the spark plug wire order on the distributor, etc so my roommate couldn't drive it away. The passenger side sheet metal was in snow up to the glass for the entire winter.

 

[JohnH55]

If you decide to get a USA vehicle, come to north Kansas. Most 90s ford's around here still have paint on the frame, let alone my 01 which is perfect underneath. Or look for one that is not that much 3500 for a rust bucket is a bad deal.

 

[Jim's Garage]

Potential purchase 2008
Doesn’t look cracked to me but I’m not an expert

View attachment 425786 View attachment 425787 View attachment 425788 View attachment 425789

 

[Jim's Garage]

We know it was only 1 winters worth of rust. It was an AZ truck that my roommate drove to IA so he would have something to drive when he wasn't working. His boss hid the truck in a field, changed the spark plug wire order on the distributor, etc so my roommate couldn't drive it away. The passenger side sheet metal was in snow up to the glass for the entire winter.

Potential purchase 2008
Doesn’t look cracked to me but I’m not an expert

View attachment 425786 View attachment 425787 View attachment 425788 View attachment 425789

NADA Clean Trade in Value is around $3700, rust hides a lot of issues, why deal with the potential risks if they can be avoided, keep looking.

 

[CJYoung]

Excellent! I love getting dirty! What topcoat on a rust converter should be used? Also since it is a v6 I thought fords v6s were pretty stout.

I have a 99 that looks Exactly like that, if not worse. Helped out Family member, sorry I did, but after 6 months of scraping rust off, Replacing all front end parts. 5 shocks, It does Great. Wifes cousin forgot to mention it lived in a Half Swamp. Drivers side awful, pass side decent. Anyway, the ONLY THING he did right was change oil with Full Synth every 5 k miles. After new fuel pump, cranked right up. Died one day, pulled plug on MAF, started back up. New MAF, Runs Wonderful. 142k miles
If you havent bought yet, point out everything about Senor Rustbucket to owner. Offer $2500, which is still OVERPRICED, regardless of inflated market. Also, TEST DRIVE IT like you're stealing it. Hard Starts and stops. Please pull tires off and check brake componants. If frame that bad, probably Brake lines too.
Someone is asking Top $$, do a Top $$ Inspection

 

[J5hort]

I have a Gen 2 and a Gen 4 both drivers in New England. The 95 had a similar degree of rust. Mostly scale and was easily brushed off. I then applied Rust Mort (careful it is caustic, brush it on, gloves, mask, etc). This neutralizes the rust. I then painted with POR-15. You may be able to get away with just POR-15, but make sure you get all the loose rust off. While getting rust off you can check for any cracks or rust thru in the frame. Likely easily patched or welded.

Drove the 95 Sport around in yesterday's Nor' Easter. Did quite well..for a 27 year old truck.

 

[96eb96]

I'll chime in to this since vehicle resale is up my alley......

Vehicles have had a ridiculous jump in prices lately and they are not going to come back down anytime soon. Automakers are loving the fact they are getting top dollar for their vehicles and having basically a build to order waiting list. That way there are no longer trucks being built that are going to sit on lots, they are getting grabbed up.

With that being said is there any other options in that price range around you? Canada is a whole different market and the amount of cars pulled off the road at an early age up there because of rust is crazy.

If it doesn't leak coolant (check radiator and thermostat housing), have a rattle or ticking at idle (timing chains), shifts into all gears without slipping or wrench light and has working 4x4 then it might be a good deal when compared to what else is available in the area.

You have to have certain thing in Canada that does not come on a US truck as well. Daytime running lights and block heater are 2 things that are needed up there. Then travel to get a US truck, trouble getting it registered ect ect can cost $3k itself not including the purchase of the truck. This truck at $3k up there is compared to buying the same truck in NY state for $1500 or so.

That truck would never be $1500 today in NYS. I can show you comparables for 8K. A 3 row SUV like that is crazy overpriced, it competes almost with a new Explorer.

 

[Olds67]

Frame looks fine by me. If you gonna keep it longer than 2-3 years or get any money when you sell it, it’ll need sandblasting etc. At least there’s not 3 layers of cheap coat hiding the rust.
I use Owatrol and ACF-50 on every vehicle dont shot me lol

 

[Fbird]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=best+rust+converter

 

[jr230]

Potential purchase 2008
Doesn’t look cracked to me but I’m not an expert

View attachment 425786 View attachment 425787 View attachment 425788 View attachment 425789

i saw nothing but usual rust, but best wat either take to frame shop let them inspect
or a shop that will put it on lift. tap frame with small hammer change in tone needs further look into
worst case crawl under same thing tap frame now near bolts will sound different but compare to other parts. while under look at brake and fuel lines

 

[boominXplorer]

That truck would never be $1500 today in NYS. I can show you comparables for 8K. A 3 row SUV like that is crazy overpriced, it competes almost with a new Explorer.

Oh yeah I understand, I just said buying it for $3k in Canada is like finding the same truck for $1500 in NY. It's a deal if it runs and drives under its own power

 

[laker82]

Unless it’s a box frame and not a C channel it’s not going to rust from the “inside”. Rust isn’t magic. It will always start from something exposed. There’s plenty of visible rust to be concerned with.

Beg to differ. Little holes let sand and salt in, doesn't let it out. Becomes a little rust factory, stays wet all the time.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Beg to differ. Little holes let sand and salt in, doesn't let it out. Becomes a little rust factory, stays wet all the time.

Yes. The hole is on the outside. The void letting in the sand and water is FROM the outside. The back side of something you can’t see CAN rust as I said above. Rust never starts inside of something. It ALWAYS starts from an outside edge.

 

[96eb96]

Beg to differ. Little holes let sand and salt in, doesn't let it out. Becomes a little rust factory, stays wet all the time.

C frames are also much thicker. A box frame is almost sheetmetal because of the 4 sides. C frames dry fast too. 04-08 F150s are all junk here because of a poorly designed boxed frame. A box frame has to have the right drain holes and have a top notch rust treatment to last.