Yes, I know this thread is useless without pics, but here we go anyway.
I took the 340 car down to Patrick's shop Friday morning to do the install on the patch section for the passenger side torsion bar mount that was rotted out of the crossmember. I chose his shop because of a few small things my shop does not have, mainly:
1. Heat
2. Single post lift
3. Large air compressor
4. MIG welder
5. Extremely large assortment of grinders, cut off wheels, etc..
Here are the highlights:
1. Remove carpet/mat from over area where repair is to be made
2. Remove fuel lines, park brake adjuster, and transmission crossmember
3. Cut away all rusted metal you can
4. Clean up the area where you will be welding as good as you can
5. Clean area to be welded again
6. Test fit repair piece and trim as needed
THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART!
7. Locate the mount in the repair section. We used the torsion bar itself with the piece fitted in the car. The holes in the repair section are larger than the mount itself. THE MOUNT DOES NOT FIT THROUGH THE SECTION STRAIGHT. IT IS ANGLED AND MUST ALSO BE CLOCKED PROPERLY. If it is not in alignment with the front socket you won't be able to get the t-bar back in. If it is not clocked properly you will have trouble adjusting your ride height. There is enough room to get a pipe wrench on the front socket to turn it when clocking. The mount must also be located properly front to back. Too far forward and you can't get the clip in. Too far back and the dust boot won't go back on.
8. Weld mount into repair section and allow to cool
9. Clean area to be welded one last time
10. Take high dollar Miller MIG and weld in repair section taking care to make welds that look like they were done by drunk hilljack
11. Grind off some crap welds so Patrick won't see them
12. Listen to Patrick tell you job looks like it was done by drunk hilljack
13. Clean and paint repaired area
14. Install torsion bar, trans crossmember, fuel line, and park brake adjuster
15. Lower car to floor waiting for loud "BANG" when weight settles on repair
16. Bounce front end up and down to test for loud "BANG"
17. If no loud "BANG" is heard take car back to your own shop and put away.
18. Show car to friend you bought car from who had declined to install cap himself
Final thoughts:
1. IF I was doing a restoration I would not use one of these caps. It should be fine for a daily driver IF it is welded in properly.
2. I would not attempt this without a MIG welder. The metal you are welding to is thinner than the cap, and has rusted partly away anyway.
3. You could do this at home on jack stands, but it will be very time consuming.
4. The cap was in the trunk of the car when I bought it w/o instructions. I downloaded them off Saf-T-Cap's website for free. They tell you this job can be done with the trans crossmember in place. It can not. You can not get the piece into place. Taking the crossmember out first will save time in the long run.
5. I had about 12 hours in the install. I had all the right tools and equipment on hand, but I was not rushing by any means. I also did not have any deadline like they did on 'American Hot Rod'.
I actually enjoyed doing this job. It was nice to just work on a car and have fun doing it.
