Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim57
The frame front looks real strong.
Kim
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That's what I'm going for. The stock '57 frame was plenty stout. Looking at it directly over the trimmed Dodge frame is what caused my concern. The Dodge frame was designed to absorb energy in a collision. The frame metal is very thin by comparison, so mounting a piece of heavy steel bolted specifically through the thin metal of the Dodge frame made me worry about the metal distorting or tearing if a mounted winch was being loaded to anywhere near capacity.
There are four 1/2" bolts used to mount the winch hardware through the Dodge frame. To help keep the thin metal from tearing, I welded washers the reinforce the mounting holes in the Dodge frame. The angle stock that ties the Dodge frame to the Chevy stubs overlaps the top seam where the two halves of the Dodge frame are welded together, as a precaution. I'm not planning on doing much with a winch, but this truck will be used on the farm, so the winch may end up getting used from time to time.
-Joe