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Tips
Tips

TR4/4A tr4 frame problem

Hi,

I haven't changed one, but I have reinforced them.

Standard gas or water pipe, 1" or 1.25" ID (I forget which) fits tightly inside the original outrigger tube. Just pick up some from a hardware store and give it a try. In preparation for welding, I remove any external coating from the pipe, possibly galvanizing or blackening depending upon what type pipe you buy. Pipe walls are much thicker than the original outrigger tube and add a lot of strength. Because the length needed isn't long, not a lot of weight is added.

If a portion of the original tube inside the frame rail is still intact, you might be able to use the pipe to make a joint, slipping the new outrigger tube over it. Plug weld in place and it should be ready to go. Just be careful aligning the mounting pad, maybe use the body as a jig.

If that tube was badly rusted out, I'd check the others and the rest of the frame carefully. If doing body-off-the-frame work, it might be a good idea to reinforce all of them. The tube near the rear, that the rear of the leaf springs attach to, is another area that's good to reinforce. It is slightly smaller diameter, so needs a different size pipe.

Hope this helps!

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I removed all of the tube that I could and slit the inner rocker and bent it outward to slide the 1" pipe through the frame to meet the inner frame rail. Then I just welded the pipe in and the pad on and closed the inner rocker back up.
 
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