Need Frame Section

unfortunately i think you are somewhat screwed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the frame is part of the body on these vans.. if it's that far gone, you're going to have some serious work to do to fix it... the only thing i can think of is to cut out the bad section and replace it with a non-rusty "front quarter" from another van that is the same. That's going to involve more time and money than the van is worth, I'm afraid. Don't get me wrong, I am all for attempting to save a vehicle, but a van that's so far rusted, well even *I* have to question it..

No, the full size vans are traditional full frame construction. The frames are built by Tower Automotive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and delivered fully assembled. There were probably a few "add on" pieces available separately for repair purposes but never sections of frame rails. Full frame replacement would be the choice here if replacing the whole van isn't an option. I doubt you could still get the frame from Chrysler now, junkyard or a parts van is the only real choice now.

I have a friend who has (had) a truck that had the frame repaired and the insurance found out after a subsequent accident. The previous repair alone caused them to total the truck. They don't want the potential liability. You probably shouldn't either. Straightening the frame from being out of square is one thing, welding on it is quite another and to be avoided.

You will need to get this piece from a junk yard as this is where a body shop would also get it. Who cares where it comes from as long it is in good shape and getting it from a junk yard will cost less. If you are going to do this, you will really need to really know how to weld as this is a structural piece of the vehicle and it needs to be welded and aligned properly. You will also need to make sure that the frame rail is actually in good shape where you are going to attach the replacement section or you are just wasting your time and money. I would replace the entire section from the front to where the frame flattens back out near the body as that rot seems a little to close to the spring mount for me and then I would box the repair to make sure that it is solid. Some people say not to do this but the performance world welds in new front clips all of the time and if done properly, is completely safe and a hell of a lot less work than replacing the entire frame and much cheaper than replacing the entire vehicle. Good luck.

Yup, use to be done all the time with crashed vettes. But you really should put it on a jig and get the spec's and have it done by sombody that really knows what they are doing.

Roy

Try a frame shop. There are usually shops that specialize in those areas all over the country. Replacing one side of the front would be tough to get right. Most do a sub-frame replacement from about the firewall area forward. It is done safely all the time, especially after accidents or customization. It is something you would not want to get into yourself unless you have all the jigs and equipment to do it right.

Ed