Let the thrashing begin.....

I have had this frame for years.  I picked it up from my Grandpa's stash.  It's seen better days, but it is salvageable.  It has seen it's share of dirt roads and potholes.  These old trucks were built to work, not to cruise around town.

I ground off the rivets that secure the front crossmember and then drilled out the center.  Smack it with a center punch and they pop out.  Time consuming, but it works.  I won't bore you with all of the rivet removals, so we'll fast forward.

I had a beefy piece of square tubing that I clamped up to ensure that every thing stayed square.  Probably not doing much, but it makes me feel better.

I grabbed a couple of taper punches and got everything lined up.  The lower pickup brackets are a little different from the 1940 crossmember that I am using as a donor.  I'll have to modify it slightly.

I picked up some grade 8 bolts to replace the rivets.  I had originally planned on using carriage style heads, but I read that the tension capability is severely reduced using a rounded head.  I figure I would rather be safe, so I opted for the hex heads.  It didn't take that long to repair and it will look better than a repaired crossmember.