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Frame rail patch

W

wayjon0

Member
Thought I would get a few opinions about this being patched rather then replaced

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Picture016.jpg
 
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I would patch if it was me. However I cant tell how extensive the damage is from your pics. You may find that it is even worse than you thought as soon as you remove all the paint. It is going to be a judgment call that you are going to have to make. We also don't know the extent of your fabrication skills so you will have to decide what direction you want to go. I know that it is a vague answer but it is just my .02 cents. Good luck and keep the pics and questions coming.
 
I don't even see what it is that you want to patch. I certainly wouldn't replace those frame rails, based on those pics.
 
It looks like there is a little rust damage above the rails. But like I said it is hard to see in the pic.
 
I guess it is a little hard to see. The spot just above the rail is a bad weld, it is very heavy. There are 2 bolt coming out just at the top of the rail, right in between them the wall is very thin to the touch. Right in between the two holes in the rail. You can also see where the lip is eroded away right where the silver support comes out.

The engine bay side looks really good.
 
i'll bet the battery acid got to it over the years. looks like the apron/batt tray was replaced & i'll bet the outer side of the rail is thin from acid. shouldnt be too hard to cut out the thin part, put a piece of steel in the removed area & just patch it.
 
Only one way to know for sure. Strip the paint off and see what lies underneath. You wont know till you see how much good metal you have.
 
You can also see where the lip is eroded away right where the silver support comes out.
Click to expand...


Do you mean where the front sway bar passes under the frame rail? This area was likely cut out, not eroded. It's usually a "tight fit" area when front suspension changes are made. Make sure that the sway bar never contacts the frame rail thoughout the front suspension's range of motion.


Of larger concern.....

Looking at your photo's for anything else that may be screwed up I noticed that the bottom of the coil spring isn't seated in it's perch correctly. You'll want to fix this before driving the car.
 
"daveSanborn" said:
Of larger concern.....

Looking at your photo's for anything else that may be screwed up I noticed that the bottom of the coil spring isn't seated in it's perch correctly. You'll want to fix this before driving the car.
Click to expand...

Oh, good catch Dave!
 
Definitely agree with the advice given in regards to removing the paint in order to see whats really going on.

As hard as it is to see whats really going on, the frame rail looks okay to me, I think the problem lies with the apron.
 
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