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danny- · 12-11-2010, 03:58 PM

This is my first time in a forum. I just recently purchased a 1960 ambassador. I noticed the floor was rotten, so I peeled up the floor from the kitchen, forward. The main frame seems to be in good shape, still having black paint but some of the outriggers off the main frame were rotten so I replaced with
4 in. X .125 C-channel. however when I got to the front of the frame where the water tank was sitting the main frame had rusted thru. I am going to replace the trailer tounge to the first angled outriggers. Does anyone know if the frame will tweak if i saw the tounge off back to the first outriggers, and what is the thickness of the Frame.

Thanks Dan

markdoane · 12-11-2010, 05:14 PM

I had the same thing going on with my '59. An unseen leak from the water tank had caused the frame to rust through. As you can see in the first picture below, the frame is not a simple piece of rectangular tubing. There is some kind of reinforcing inside the main frame.

The easiest fix is to make up some channel out of 10 gauge and just weld it over the existing tubing. I did this four years ago and it's been on the road since with no problem.

danny- · 12-11-2010, 06:59 PM

Thanks Mark
That is why I was asking about the frame thickness it looked as if the side walls were a double thickness. I liked your idea to make up oversized c-chanel to slip over existing frame. also I was wandering does tounge continue at the same angle from the widest point in the frame all the way to front of the tounge, or does the angle sharpen where the A-frame coupler welds on.

Thanks Dan

markdoane · 12-11-2010, 08:03 PM

Yes, the frame does sharpen where it enters the coupler. You can see in the second picture how a wedge shaped piece about 8 inches long was cut out of the top and bottom of the rectangular tubing. The pointy parts fit a 50 degree A-frame coupler.

So the inside of the tubing continues to the front of the coupler, and the outside of the tubing folds in to match the outside of the coupler.

danny- · 12-12-2010, 06:14 AM

Do you know the length of the tongue form the first crossmember to the center of the ball socket on the coupler. it looks like someone has cut this one short and rewelded the coupler back on.