I would also check the welds at the brackets for the lower A frame . I have seen some that were poorly welded from the factory. Since you are cleaning things up.
Update on frame with some pics. Got a local welder to come out to the house and weld some square patches on the frame where the crack was. The crack has been well covered/re-enforced by the patches. I also pulled the rear crossmember off as it was bent (more so than came stock) and had the welder put in a reprop one I got from OPGI. Once all that was done, put 2 coats of self-etching primer, 1 coat of regular primer, and 2 coats of flat black. I think it came out looking good. I measured the frame (using dimensions from the service manual) and it all lined up. I'm working on the front suspension/steering now, blasting stock control arms, gonna repaint them, putting on new proforged tall ball joints, replacing all the bushings. It's coming along slowly, but I can start to see it. Here's some pics of the frame.
