WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Here you can put your AA parts for sale, and wanted posts.
Post Reply
Jeff Brown
Posts: 123
Joined: May 26th, 2016, 9:57 am
Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Tucson AZ

WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by Jeff Brown »

Hi,

I am looking for the rear cross member for an 88A platform bed with the 4 stake pockets. I think the part number is AA-88097-B - see pictures below. Mine has about a 2" sag across it which has split the lower flange and it is pretty beat up. I have repaired all my other cross members with heat and welding but I think this one is past it as I have no way of straightening it. If anyone has a better one, ( hopefully not too far from Arizona as this thing is heavy and freight is going to hurt!) please contact me.
20190720_185114e.jpg
20190720_185114e.jpg (365.35 KiB) Viewed 8120 times
20190720_185052e.jpg
20190720_185052e.jpg (552.13 KiB) Viewed 8120 times
20190720_185006e.jpg
20190720_185006e.jpg (551.55 KiB) Viewed 8120 times
Thanks

Jeff
User avatar
Neil Wilson
Posts: 3062
Joined: February 5th, 2003, 9:42 pm
Body Type: 82-A/89-A
Model Year: 1930
Location: Boulder, CO
Contact:

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by Neil Wilson »

Jeff Brown wrote:
July 20th, 2019, 7:28 pm
I am looking for the rear cross member for an 88A platform bed with the 4 stake pockets. I have repaired all my other cross members with heat and welding but I think this one is past it as I have no way of straightening it. If anyone has a better one, ( hopefully not too far from Arizona as this thing is heavy and freight is going to hurt!) please contact me. Jeff
Jeff, Good luck finding that cross member. It is usually quite bent/broken due to hooking a chain around the carrier swivel bolt a trying to pull something which should have been pulled from the frame. You might have to disassembly everything and use a heavy hammer on a solid surface to flatten it. With it apart, you can straighten the top flange. You might find that having the floor board support angle can be made fairly cheaply. And you would have to be able to weld and grind.

If you do find a replacement, be sure to retain the current one. Many time the 88-A platform is missing one or both of the reinforcements as well as stake pockets.
Regards, Neil Wilson
______________________________________
aafords.com@gmail.com - use this email for contact
https://aafords.com/
Jeff Brown
Posts: 123
Joined: May 26th, 2016, 9:57 am
Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Tucson AZ

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by Jeff Brown »

Thanks Neil, yes, if I have no luck I will just have to get the heavy hammers and heating torch out. The worst thing will be to try and take the sag out of it as the flanges are quite light and wont take a lot of load from a hydraulic jack. And I would have to straighten it before I weld it up as there is about an 1/8" gap at the bottom where it has opened up due to the sag. Still, I've faced worse on this restoration!

Jeff
KimVanOrder
Posts: 753
Joined: August 11th, 2013, 4:25 pm
Body Type: 82-A Platform
Model Year: 1928
Location: Hamilton, Mich.

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by KimVanOrder »

Jeff. I have found a hydraulic log splitter to be very handy for straightening, and flattening things. just a thought..
KVO
Dec. '28 AA
Stakebed
Posts: 1223
Joined: June 14th, 2007, 7:29 pm
Body Type: Grainbox
Model Year: 1929
Location: Illinois

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by Stakebed »

FYI i hve heard of people stripping the pockets off them and taking them to a sheetmetal fab place and having one made from this as a pattern. Then re-riveting the pockets back on the new one.

yea finding a good one is gonna be a needle in a haystack.
Jeff Brown
Posts: 123
Joined: May 26th, 2016, 9:57 am
Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Tucson AZ

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by Jeff Brown »

Thanks Guys, yep, thought it was a long shot! The log splitter idea may be an option, Thanks Kim.
User avatar
1crosscut
Posts: 877
Joined: December 25th, 2010, 7:22 pm
Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Lincoln, NE

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by 1crosscut »

If you do end up pulling it apart and repairing it try grinding the back sides of the rivets off and punching them out and saving them. I did this with my front cross member. When I re-assembled it I placed the rivets back in and then mig welded the back side of the rivets in place. This way the rivets still matched.
------------
Dave
Stakebed
Posts: 1223
Joined: June 14th, 2007, 7:29 pm
Body Type: Grainbox
Model Year: 1929
Location: Illinois

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by Stakebed »

Ooh good idea Crosscut
Jeff Brown
Posts: 123
Joined: May 26th, 2016, 9:57 am
Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Tucson AZ

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by Jeff Brown »

Thought I would give an update on the rear cross member - this should really be in the discussion forum but this is where it started. I started heating the old steel to stress relieve it but when it got hot, I could see cracks running in all directions and it just about wrapped itself inside out with the stresses in it. So I made the decision to chop out the badly cracked and bent center section and weld in a new piece of 10 gauge plate. I also cut the angle return off the outer end pieces so I could run a straight piece of angle right along the top. Except I could not find any angle the right size. I did have a piece of rectangular tube the right thickness so I cut this length ways to make the top angle and also the deck support angle on the rear. I was super careful not to overheat the assembly when welding it up so started with a lot of spot welds and stitch welds working at each end and in the middle so it was evenly heated. It did come out pretty straight. I hot riveted all the pieces back on - I wasn't able to save any rivets as I had to grind then right down to get them out and even then they took a lot of hammering with a punch. A coat of rust treatment to blend it all together and it looks just like a new old one! Thanks for everyone's help with this. Now on to the side rails.
20190804_100302e.jpg
20190804_100302e.jpg (346.66 KiB) Viewed 7896 times
20190804_160157e.jpg
20190804_160157e.jpg (573.68 KiB) Viewed 7896 times
20190816_183641e.jpg
20190816_183641e.jpg (538.5 KiB) Viewed 7896 times
Jeff
User avatar
Neil Wilson
Posts: 3062
Joined: February 5th, 2003, 9:42 pm
Body Type: 82-A/89-A
Model Year: 1930
Location: Boulder, CO
Contact:

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by Neil Wilson »

Jeff Brown wrote:
August 16th, 2019, 7:29 pm
Thought I would give an update on the rear cross member - this should really be in the discussion forum but this is where it started. I started heating the old steel to stress relieve it but when it got hot, I could see cracks running in all directions and it just about wrapped itself inside out with the stresses in it. So I made the decision to chop out the badly cracked and bent center section and weld in a new piece of 10 gauge plate. I also cut the angle return off the outer end pieces so I could run a straight piece of angle right along the top. Except I could not find any angle the right size. I did have a piece of rectangular tube the right thickness so I cut this length ways to make the top angle and also the deck support angle on the rear. I was super careful not to overheat the assembly when welding it up so started with a lot of spot welds and stitch welds working at each end and in the middle so it was evenly heated. It did come out pretty straight. I hot riveted all the pieces back on - I wasn't able to save any rivets as I had to grind then right down to get them out and even then they took a lot of hammering with a punch. A coat of rust treatment to blend it all together and it looks just like a new old one! Thanks for everyone's help with this. Now on to the side Jeff
Excellent Jeff
Regards, Neil Wilson
______________________________________
aafords.com@gmail.com - use this email for contact
https://aafords.com/
KimVanOrder
Posts: 753
Joined: August 11th, 2013, 4:25 pm
Body Type: 82-A Platform
Model Year: 1928
Location: Hamilton, Mich.

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by KimVanOrder »

Most excellent !!!!!!!!!!!

Now how about the " Ford Truck" embossed into it!!! :shock:

Great job.
KVO
Dec. '28 AA
Jeff Brown
Posts: 123
Joined: May 26th, 2016, 9:57 am
Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Tucson AZ

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by Jeff Brown »

Thanks Kim, had to restrain myself from embossing the "Ford Truck" in it, as it would not have been like the original!

Jeff
KimVanOrder
Posts: 753
Joined: August 11th, 2013, 4:25 pm
Body Type: 82-A Platform
Model Year: 1928
Location: Hamilton, Mich.

Re: WTB, Rear 88A platform bed crossmember

Post by KimVanOrder »

Jeff Brown wrote:
August 22nd, 2019, 7:52 pm
Thanks Kim, had to restrain myself from embossing the "Ford Truck" in it, as it would not have been like the original!

Jeff
Opps! Must be a different part number than I have... Mine is a 1928. with the Ford Script. Different "bed" #. Any way, Excelent job!!
KVO
Dec. '28 AA
Post Reply