I found this rust thru on the passenger side brace @ the side member. I figure the car had to have been sitting in grass for some time, as the former owner was elderly and that's where it sat till a few months before I purchased it. It was discovered while I was putting on a front disc kit, and afterwards I crawled all under that thing like a durn gremlin to see if I could find any other problem areas, but it came up clear *for now*. Since I'm new to all of this, I just wanted some advice on the best course of action. The metal seems solid on the bottom, corners, and back side. It's what you see facing the camera that's rusted through. I'm not even going to venture to guess what the best course of action would be, but rather consult the guys who have handled this stuff before. I have to admit, this car has been a crash course in everything automotive. Here I thought that it was going to be part replacement and some panel welding......and it's turned out to be oh-so-much-more
Wouldn't you remove the old one and replace? You would think somebody on here has one laying around....
Yeah, chisel or cut the heads off the rivets and then knock the rivets out. Replace the whole thing. Shouldn't be too hard to find.
Cut the rusted piece out and weld on an 1/8" thick piece of flat stock over the hole. Just be sure you cut out all the thin, rusted stuff. I patch a lot of rust holes in frame rails this way. Gene
That straight forward, huh? I just *knew* that it was going to be something that required equipment that I don't own, money I don't have, and a part that I can't acquire! Seems like that's been the streak that I've been on. Thanks, guys! If anyone has one laying around, please PM me
Like the guys have eluded too, you have two course's of action here. The first, chisle the old one out and replace it with anther that you spend an absurd amunt of time trying to find (unless you go to the HAMBoDex and give the junkyard in there listed a call) If you go that route there is a way to get ths hot rivets out. I grind the top of them off then start with a small drill bit and get progressivly larger until you still have a lip of rivet left, then use a drift pin and hammer em out. or start cutting till you get to good steel and then patch if with a sleeve...
If it was way rotten, I would replace the whole thing, but for that little hole, I'd just cut it out and weld a new piece in there. That's too minor of rust for me to want to swap out that brace, which I personally think is a pain in the ass.
that rusted from the inside out due to being full of dirt and junk holding the moisture in. damage could be much worse than it appears... give it the screwdriver test... get a thick screwdriver and see if you can poke it through. that would be a bitch to remove. those rivets don't just fall out. being an old fart I wouldn't even attempt it without a lift. finding another would be a bitch too. I had a frame for sale and the guy only needed the trans crossmember. I charged him $100.00 because i had to remove it. this was removed from a bare frame. would have been more if it came froma complete car. from the way it looks I'd say the damamge is not that severe and you could weld in a patch in the spot where the hole is without removing anything.
I think I'm definitely leaning towards the weld patch at this point. My neighbor has a MIG and offered to come over and help me out for anything I needed (within reason ). If I come across a new brace, I'll definitely pick it up and tackle a full replacement later on if I have the will. You could be completely correct on it happening from the inside out, but the original spot looked like outside in...and I poked out the rest, touching the surrounding area with a screwdriver and it just sinking in. Perhaps it began as outside in...then the hole formed, water got in, and then the rest was inside out? I'm just hoping that it's not worse than I think!
rust is ALWAYS worse than you think.... unless you've cut out a lot of it, then you think the worst, and that is usually what you get.
I just went out there to poke around even more with the ol' screwdriver, and the area on the bottom side parallel to it just crumbled, too. All the way up to the nub where it ends at the member. The corners are good, and the holes aren't the full breadth of the brace...so would a patch still be viable in the short term? I poked my finger around in there to see what else would come out besides rust chips, and I found a plug of sediment inside the support. I'm figuring that it was preventing the water from leaving via the drain holes and causing it to pool and doing exactly what you said, Ratfink. For now, I still think I'll weld a patch in it...maybe another piece around that for additional support, and live with it until I get that lift I've been wanting. Does that sound prudent?
Patch it up and forget it. Finding another one in better condition then the 1 you already have attached to your car may become a huge project by itself. I can tell you there are cars running around here, with patches larger then your's will be, on the main frame rails that have been that way for many years. If you get into good steel, your patch will probably outlast the rest of the car. Gene
Try not to overthink your repairs too much..... You gotta pick your battles, especially when you live where every car you will probably ever deal with will give you these same problems...and then some
That's definitely one of my problems, I'm a *big* perfectionist. It's partly my nature, and partly due to my job. I deal in precision measurements all day long, so when someone says "Hell, just patch it and go" I'm like "WHAAAAAAT you say!?!?!" I just need to finish up my damn brakes so I can start tearing the cancer out of this thing and get some fresh tin on it so I can stop being depressed when I see these guys from elsewhere in the country touting their cancer free, cheap, sweet finds.
Welp fore you go mentinioning cancer free finds....I drove one of those "cancer free" finds for about 13 years till I recently tore it down to the frame for gloss paint. I ended up changing both inner and outer cowl sides, the rockers, and both inner and outer cab corners.....It wasnt cancer free....and it was a southwestern truck Just clean the hell out of it, cut it back till you get to good steel and patch it. Couple hour job and be done with it. Yeah, and forgot to mention....there aint no easy way on them hot rivets...any way you slice em they're a PIA
i dont know what its like where you live but here in Minnesota (the salt capitol) we would jump for joy for so little rust! that would be considered rust free here. around here dodge caravans have the strut towers rusted away holding by nothing & still driving everyday with no problems. 90s buicks & olds have subframes that are rotted with nothing but threads holding them the whole car jerks when put into gear & its rare you ever hear of one breaking. those are wimpy examples of stamped out thin steel. -------- that frame of yours is strong yet. try to break it! what im saying here is dont let it get you down. dont loose any sleep over it thats so minor a little welding & grinding & waaalaaa
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