Hey guys. Frames again fall into my category of "don't know much about" so here I am. I was underneath my F-body wagon yesterday and the part of the frame that runs the length of the car from the engine to about the driver floor (about 2' in from the fender) where it joins up perpendicular to another beam is rusting out. When I say rusting out, I mean that I could push my finger through it.

I know people probably need pictures to understand what I'm trying to say, and I'll get some when I can. For now, I was hoping someone would understand and be able to tell me what the risk factor is for this situation and what, if anything, I could do to fix it.

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Pics:

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The car hasn't got a frame, as such, with a body bolted to it. It's a unit-body (monocoque, unibody) vehicle; the body and "frame rails" are all structural.

How serious is this what you're showing us? Very. The car in its present condition is not structurally sound. You might be able to get reinforcements welded in if the additional rust you haven't yet seen isn't too extensive.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Auto Rust Technicians makes frame rail repair parts. Their FMJ body catalog page.

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Joshua

Poop.

Well, that Autorust place looks great! The only problem is they have no pictures so I need to identify what part that is. Any ideas of what exact part that is?

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Front subframe rear section should be what you're after. I would call or e-mail them and see if you can send the same pictures you sent us and they can get you the right repair parts. Do you weld or would you be having it done?

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Joshua

I have a welder that I have yet to use, so I have no experience with it at this time. So.... probably having someone else do it.

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Talked to the guy from Autorust, and as fate would have it he grew up 2 miles from where I currently live. Also interesting is that he knew as soon as I said I need to identify the section of subframe which one it was. Apparently it's the same piece that goes on all F-bodies.

This question may indicate my lack of knowledge in welding, but would welder be big enough to do the job?

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mi ... 98871.html

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If you are going to spend the money to actually buy a welder, I recommend you buy one that can be upgraded to gas shielding. I think the cheapest one out there is the Hobart Handler 125, but I may be wrong. See if you can find a used welder or one you can rent. That welder from Harbor freight is bottom of the barrel and really good only for welding exhaust pipes.

Actually, that's the welder I already have. So it would be a no go for this job then?

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Well, if you have it, you might as well use it. Gas shield makes a cleaner (and therefore stronger) weld. But the one you have should do the trick. Just be sure to clean and paint the metal very well after the weld. A rubberized undercoating wouldn't be a bad idea either. Nor would a shield to protect that portion of the frame from scrapes in the future.

Thanks for all the input everyone! This morning I was lost but now I am found.

I made the order a few minutes ago for the part. I also talked to the NEW person that will be doing my custom exhaust fitting and he said they would do both jobs together, no problem. So, I think I would rather not have my first personal weld job be such an important one.

Some things are best left to the professionals. At least for now.

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Wise move.

I see your car is parked in front of a snowy road in the pictures.

That's a bad thing for our slanted vehicles. Most newer cars have fairly good rust resistance. But as you have discovered, Mopars from 70s-60s are (as a friend once told me) "water soluble".

If you want to keep it going for years to come you'll have to find a beater to drive in the winter months, or else find some way to slow the rusting process... which is pretty hard to do. Some people here take their cars to be oil undercoated every fall, which is messy, but it helps.

Otherwise, it's a losing battle.

Let us know how the frame repair panels work out for you. I've heard good things about them, but have never used them.

- Mac

Yeah, actually that picture was right about when I bought it. I never drove it in the snow this year. When it's bad out I use the 4runner to get about town. After seeing how well cars are preserved when I lived in Oregon for 3 years, I greatly appreciate the effects our MI winters have on a car. I'll try everything to prevent it, including preserving a winter spot in the garage next to the Mark IV.

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