Hi Guys, I picked up a 1964 Comet 202 from an older gent for next to nothing. The canadian winters have not been good to this car. Suprisingly almost no rust on the underside except where it matters, the subframe rails. They run back from the engine mounts to underneath the cab. Right where they are welded into the floor pans they are very rusty. Drivers side is almost completely rusted away and p***enger side is roughly 1/4 rusted away. This is the first old unibody car I have ever owned. How safe is it to have those square frames rusted away underneath the cab? I guess I could box weld them up but dont really want to do any extra work, just want an old car to drive. Have replaced all brake lines, and wheel cylinders, put in fresh gas, changed all bulbs, set dwell and timing, and cleaned out the carb. Puurs like a kitten. Anyone ever actually heard of a unibody car collapsing or falling apart on the road?
uhh - no you don't want to hope that things are OK. need to find & install replacement parts - not a fun job but, ya gotta do it. if you wanted a turn key ride should have looked around more before buying.
Yeah, that's a fairly big deal. Your lower control arms attach to the rails, as well as the steering, so some sort of catastrophic failure isn't out of the question. At the rear end of these, you have the transmission mount. Not an easy repair, that's probably why the price was low... Replacement rails are available for first-gen Mustangs, I don't think they'll be exact but may be close enough that some mods will make them fit. The Comet actually shares more parts with the early Mustang than the Falcon does (although from the middle of the doors forward they're mostly the same), so that's where I'd start my search. One thing I'll note is the Falcons had different bodies depending on the drivetrain/body style with thicker gauge metal for the frame rails/rockers for the V8 versions, plus the V8 cars had torque boxes connecting the rails and rockers. There's a few exceptions; the wagons/Rancheros used 'V8' frame rails in the rear regardless of the motor, and all convertibles used the V8 body. The Comet used 'V8' bodies across the complete line in '64-65 (or the US versions did; a Canadian-built one may not) for better NVH, so if using Falcon/Mustang structural body parts, you want the V8 versions.
interesting, Thanks guys, tomorrow I will start hitting it with the grinder to see how bad it really is then I will grab some angle iron and go to town with my welder better safe than sorry
I had a 67 Mustang that had rotted floor on the driver side and could feel the subframe move under my feet while driving. Not a good thing. These parts are engineered to spread the stresses out so be careful how you fix it.
I know the owner of a 66 Fairlane rusted in the same place. His car has gotten to the point it's literally breaking in half.
Be careful with the angle iron. Angle has very little torsional rigidity. You need to match the original shape (box sections) as closely as possible. Do the repair correctly, do it once, and you will never have to worry about it again. FoMoCo spent alot of time, energy, and money engineering those cars. Start doing weird things and pretty soon your doors don't close correctly, your alignment is never correct, and the car drives and looks like ****.
LMFAO not only heard of it but went to drag a couple home or repair them on the spot. Sub frame connectors like the hot rod guys use, you can make then out of a piece of 2x3 or 2x4 steel tubing, you cut the old unibody frame away and weld them in place. You can get away with skip welding them they don't have to be welded in solid.
There's no such thing as a free lunch (or a free car). The price was cheap because the car needed work, but you don't want to do the "extra work". You want a free car. There are lots of creative ways to fix it but they all require work. Donor parts, repop parts, fabbed parts, etc., but the labor is the hardest part. A quick welding of angle iron isn't the way to fix it.
UNIBODY.........all metal body parts are connected together to aid in rigidity and strength. Take the tension from the springs so they do not affect the repairs. Make sure everything is square before welding repairs. A good suggestion^ would be to run the "frame" back to the rear spring mounts. Yes the worst place for rust is around the frame rails. 3X^...do it right the first time......
There are a few cars currently for sale right now that would be great donors. Very nice '62 Fairlane on Ebay for short money! '62-'64 Fairlane or Comet share the same components. Also, I've got a bunch of extra parts from my recent Build, if you need anything.
No parts from a Fairlane.... The Comet was Falcon-based, you're thinking of the '62-63 Meteor which shared parts with the Fairlane.
SORRY! Chalk it up to Old Age! I meant Comets/Falcons: http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/5384111163.html http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/pts/5368676514.html http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercury-Com...1f6e40cb:g:DksAAOSwuYVWmTSj&item=391369343179
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