I found a hole in bottom of the left frame of my '65 Valiant right where the bend starts up.

Any suggestions as to where I can find detailed repair info? Strictly a pro job?

Thanks

Thats where it starts.

There are patch kits available.

Mostly its a pro repair

BUT....I have glued caps on frames using winshield glue ......hide using spray undercoat. (this repair for the DOT....not strength)

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

bahh cut it out with a cut off wheel and mig weld in a good piece grind it real good

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87 d150 2bbl carb 225
79 f250 300 v8
97 cavalier z24
83 f150 straight 6
89 f450 diseal 4x4 dually 5sp

Been there, done that. It was really easy. Grind away old rusty, flaky metal, undercoating, etc. Make a template out of a manilla folder and once satisfied with the dimensions (make sure you overlap!), scribe that onto a pieve of sheetmetal. Cut out the old, weld on the new, apply a liberal dose of undercoating and yer done.

Learned the hard way how to repair rust, `cause Hawaii grows the stuff naturally. Now that I live in GA I hope never to have the problem again!

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If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

might wanna go thicker then sheet metal i know i did atleast 1/4 inch thick

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87 d150 2bbl carb 225
79 f250 300 v8
97 cavalier z24
83 f150 straight 6
89 f450 diseal 4x4 dually 5sp

I made this very repair this spring that you need to both sides of my Dart, as both sides were rotted. Rot from the inside out was hiding beneath the factory under coating at this part of the frame. The rest of the car's frame sections are in good.

Be sure to check both sides with a pick hammer, or prick punch & hammer as this section of the frame holds the front end to the rest of the car...

It was a bit of work prepping the the damaged area. After scraping off the undercoating, and cleaning the area with solvent I used a 4 " cut off wheel (cheep one, about 30 bucks), and fit the Safe -T Cap frame repair parts snugly so they could be welded in place. This took a good bit of time, and required cutting the torque boxes.

I had previously purchased a cheep..., er, rather, low priced mig welder to repair my floor boards, so I was able to weld the caps in, at home, with the car on jack stands. If one were able to put the cussed car on a lift, this job would be a lot easer. A side note: I only caught my self on fire twice, and did not melt any carpet in the process.

This is the company that produces these rugged #13 gage caps that everyone sells: http://www.autorust.com/chart-a.html At the time, this spring, Year One was the cheapest place to get these items. So shop around. http://www.yearone.com/pco/A_0308/full.asp?page=321

You need at minimum, the ART 04- R or L, or both sides. There is a longer cap that goes from the torque box to the bumpah if the rot extends up to the battery box area. These longer sections require removing the upper & lower control arms, and futzing around with the "K" frame bolts and nuts.


Green section is the cap installed. It ends a four inches before where the flexible brake line joins the frame, and starts at the cross member where the torsion bar ends



I had to cut out the torque box cover to fit the cap & weld it, than I fashioned a new cover out of the same gage material, and welded it in place.

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

I have heard good things about aurorust technicians. Never personally used them. But I am in the smae boat as you front left frame rail right at the firewall bend has a big 'ol rust hole in it, but I have a '79 Volare F-body. I plan on just replacing the frame rail from a newer dippy or RWD 5th ave. Not sure of your talent or access to accessories, or parts, BUT if you can I would suggest rail replacement if its to bad, otherwise cut out all the bad POR-15 it up, weld in a patch panel either exact size or overlap, and have a great day !!!


-Mike

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I am the Guardian, I hate helos, everything leaks.......

I'm good at mechanical stuff.

The original hole appeared the size of a nickel. I'm sure you know how such holes get bigger when you start knocking out junk.

About the POR-15. What I got from them said to clean up all the crusty rust you can, then treat the thin layer of remaining rust, then put on the "paint."

Do you have any suggestions or tips on how to clean out the worst of the rust on the inside given the very limited access?

Also, I think I'll close up the upper holes and leave only the bottom holes. I can see a use for drainage, but I can think of no reason to leave a bunch muddy water inlets in various places.

handheld bead blaster would probably work best if you have access to one, other wise wire brushes would do the trick and you can heat them with a candle (plastic handles) and bend them to shape, remember you have to leave some surface rust for the POR-15 to stick to.

-Mike

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I am the Guardian, I hate helos, everything leaks.......