floppy running board fix?

[diymirage]

hey guys, last summer i ran over a stump with the plow truck and its made my drivers side running board floppy
this thing is attached to the bottom of the rocker panel, the front and back are pretty floppy, the middle one is still pretty solid

all three of the brackets look pretty much like this

(since mine is a plow truck there is of course a lot more rust)

do you guys think of i put some metal between the bracket and the rocker, and screw it down where it is a little less floppy things will be OK, or is there a better way to fix this?

 

[diymirage]

Well, scratch that plan
I started at the front with a 6x12 piece of 15 gauge steel

Seemed like a great idea, except for the fact there isn't enough of a rocker left to bridge it to

So, I decided to spread the load to the frame (since it's still mostly being held up by the center bracket)

Sure feels a whole lot more solid now, should last me a few more years

 

[RustyRatRod]

Your welds would be so much better and SAFER if you ground off the galvanized coating. When welding galvanized, it creates a gas that kill HELL out of you.

 

[diymirage]

Your welds would be so much better and SAFER if you ground off the galvanized coating. When welding galvanized, it creates a gas that kill HELL out of you.

Right you are...except, there is no galvanized steel in there

The angle iron is raw steel, and the brackets were powder coated
I'm sure the frame was painted at some point, but that is long gone and now has a "oxidized" coating

I did hit all my surfaces with a wire wheel on an angle grinder, but I didn't get it too clean before I started, because, well, I was laying on my back in the snow, and I was using fluxcore, which just doesn't cate if prep isn't perfect

Of course, the fluxcore also makes some ugly looking welds, which is probably why you thought I was welding galvanized in the first place

 

[RustyRatRod]

Right you are...except, there is no galvanized steel in there

The angle iron is raw steel, and the brackets were powder coated
I'm sure the frame was painted at some point, but that is long gone and now has a "oxidized" coating

I did hit all my surfaces with a wire wheel on an angle grinder, but I didn't get it too clean before I started, because, well, I was laying on my back in the snow, and I was using fluxcore, which just doesn't cate if prep isn't perfect

Of course, the fluxcore also makes some ugly looking welds, which is probably why you thought I was welding galvanized in the first place

The angle iron SURE looks galvanized. Are you SURE it's not? The welds also look like they were welded on galvanized metal. They exhibit that white chalky look.....and crappy welding like galvanized. Or is that just you? lol

 

[diymirage]

The angle iron SURE looks galvanized. Are you SURE it's not? The welds also look like they were welded on galvanized metal. They exhibit that white chalky look.....and crappy welding like galvanized. Or is that just you? lol

100% sure , ill snap you a pic of the steel tomorrow

And my welding is like my love making...not much to look at, but good penetration

 

[YY1]

Aren't you supposed to drink milk while welding galvanized to counteract the effects?

Sounds odd, but medically sound.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Aren't you supposed to drink milk while welding galvanized to counteract the effects?

Sounds odd, but medically sound.

Never heard that one. A respirator helps though.

 

[YY1]

OK, debunked.

I could have sworn I read that it actually helped back when I bought my welder.

 

[mopar head]

OK, debunked.

I could have sworn I read that it actually helped back when I bought my welder.

I was told the same. All that does is supposedly coat your stomach, and help from getting sick to the stomach. It does nothing for the lungs, unless you breath it, but I wouldn`t recommend that, you might drown