Discovered today that where the leaf springs attach to the frame, the frame has totaly rusted out, and on the left side, the leaf spring is resting on the bottom of my trunk, the right side, not to far from being the same

Since I can't weld at all, I took it to an autobody shop, and they quoted me $600-$700! (Canadian)

Does this seem reasonable? I'm goanna look around, but it dosn't seem many shops will repair this.

I really want a cheaper solution because I cant really afford that price, and I don't want to even start thinking about selling the vehicle (not that I would get much for it now), the problem is, this is my daily driver and I need a car



-Gregor

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I do beleive Auto Rust Technicians sells NEW repair sections for your problem. Get a couple of them, along with the spring hangers, and find a buddy, or maybe local tech school, that can do the welding for you.

Roger

Ouch, from your picture you're car looks so nice it would be a shame to sell it(especially since when selling you risk giving it to someone that doesn't give a dam* about the car, my personal worst nightmare). If they don't sell a new section then that section shouldn't be too hard to replicate(it seems as though it was a flat section with some holes in it). If you find a friend with slightly above basic levels in welding and fabrication you should be set. Sadly, 600-700 sounds correct. This price gives a warrenty, makes sure that no bubbling will occur, and also is a price for making sure that when everything's done you won't end up with the spring in your trunk again. Though, I predict that you could do the job yourself if you're careful just as well for less than 100$, more if it turns out worse than you expected, but less that $200 for worst case scenario. Be happy it's an old car, the thicker the metal the easier it is to weld.

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My car may be slow to sixty, but at least it's been reliably slow to sixty for more than thirty years.

Hmm... yes, that $700 seems a little high, but you have to realize the amount of work that can take to fix it (at $70/hr, that's 10 hours, which is reasonable for what is being fixed)... Are they fixing both sides for that price? I'm not sure where you can get it fixed for less though... Maybe the local car clubs can help you out (Manitoba Mopar Association).

Is it just the shackle mount that rusted out? the best way to fix that is to replace that mount entirely... unfortunately, I don't know of anybody that has any rust-free parts like that.

Winnipeg winters are not very car friendly. Best advice is to keep everything as clean as you can, especially the underside.

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1965 Valiant Custom 100 Convertible

Yeah its both sides, and the guy said that if I tried to jack up the rear with my jack on the bumper, it would rip the bumper right off, so the whole back section needs to be replaced.

I'm looking for some friends with welding capabilities, but so far have only found someone who is trying to teach himself to weld, dunno If I could trust him to repairing my frame

-Gregor

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I think youre getting a bargain, and judging by your car's appearance it's a worthwhile investment.

Beg borrow or steal to scratch up the cash and get er in there.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

sounds like it's pretty rusted... but like said above, your car looks awesome otherwise, and the $700 isn't really that much if it ensures the car will live for a long while...

You MAY be lucky and find some A-body parts in the local wrecking yards, but last I looked, there wasn't much there, but then again, I wasn't hunting for any frame sections. There might be a better chance to find parts you need out of town, but then, you have to figure on either getting them removed, or removing them yourself. It's worth a shot calling around, you might get lucky and find cheap patches, I'm sure you might be able to find some qualified welder to put them in... or you can bite the bullet and save up the asking price for the fix.

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1965 Valiant Custom 100 Convertible

seems hard to believe that your rear rails have completely rusted out ,and none of the rest of the car has...How's the front frame sections? I would take a good look at them to determine carrying out this $700 investment!! I like the car, but don't go overboard. Is it a love affair,or could you move on without lasting repercussions??????

well, the thing is, with all honesty, Im a university student living with my parents at home, and I have no expenses other than my car and pointless spending, so being broke for some time until I can recover from the $700 payout shouldn't be too big of a problem. If I cant get help before I can afford the repair, then I'll dish out the cash. As I said, its my daily driver and need to get it back on the streets asap.
Im looking for a full time job now, to go along with my part time, that way, I can save up the $$ no problem (hopefully).

-Gregor

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Maybe in a few years, with some money saved up, I'll restore my car, and not have to wory about things rusting off

-Gregor

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If you don't fix it, 10 years from now you'll look back and still remember it fondly and wonder WHY? (I really miss my 72 dart from back in high school )

Like others have said, take a good hard look at the rest of the underside. 700 is cheap if that's all it takes to make it solid. Get some ramps and pick at the rust and old undercoating to see if the floorboards rockers and torsion bar mounts are solid. If you get the back part fixed, you should consider coating the rest of the underside with something to curb future rust till you can do a real restoration. Also check your brake lines back there. They are pretty important too.

I once fabricated new rocker panels for a truck using some heavy steel shelving found in a scrap pile. A couple of 2x4s (as forms or bending tools), a hammer , a sawsall, and lots of free time, but it was rock solid when I was done. Take note that one angled piece is more rigid than many flat patches.

Welding is preferred but not required. Make your repair panels big enough to extend to solid places. Self-tapping metal screws can then be applied in abundance. (These are great for "temporary" repairs ). Now you can drill and bolt new sping mounts to your "frame".

You should easily see about now how this is $700 worth of work. Dodges are "unibody" and require labor intensive repairs to correct "frame" problems. Most shops around here won't even touch a car that old with rust issues, so that mechanic must like you (or your car).

Sorry for posting as a guest, but I can't seem to get a registration working (A know issue with my email ).

One thing I would make sure to check before doing the repair is the condition of the front frame horns, especially where they make the curve under the firewall. A-bodies are notorious for rusting there from the inside out. (Guess how I know that)

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

You might consider a conversion as describe in this thread. A bit of work but they sell kits for it. Basically it moves the perches inboard to the frame. I am still considering this mod to get more tire under the car. Just a thought if you have enough frame left. You could do the work yourself and hire the welder once erything is cut and tacked in place.



http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic ... highlight=[/url]

I'll look into it, it would be nice to have some good come out of this.

Thanks

-Gregor

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tomorrow Im going to try and post some pictures of it, maybe get some second opinions on the extent of the damage.

-Gregor

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