Help need opinions kinda quick!

[uhhair]

Hey, so we looked at a car to buy and the only issue is the frame. We took some pics but I don't know if this is something that is serious or not. Can you guys take a look and let me know if you think this frame is too far gone? Also, it only appears to be the front extension that has rust, back parts look OK. Thanks!

[dmcpom]

hey lookin at the pics it looks like a new fuel tank plate would be needed and there prob be more rust around the tank to , you need to prod around with something to see how bad it is, also how much can you repair yaself and it would be great if someone close could see it , and if its a good price

[ccurzio]

Price is definitely an issue here. The rust appears to have pitted into the frame in a lot of places, and doesn't look like a good idea at all unless it's ridiculously cheap and you have the resources to properly repair it.

[Jacko]

The frame has too many issues. I'd pass on this one and look for another.

[sdg3205]

My concern would be the rust you CANT see.

[uhhair]

Hey guys thanks for the help. My brother saw the car in person and was the one taking the pictures. We just don't know enough about frame damage to know what can be repaired and what cannot. The asking price of the car is $13k and other than the frame it is dirty, but decent. Car does run and has had a fuel overhaul system in the past 5 years.

[DMCMW Dave]

That frame has already had major welding repair done - those are plates welded over the original steel I'm guessing. IF done properly it can be strong, but it's very hard to tell. The worry is the rest of the frame, especially in the back around the engine and up higher. It's possible that only the front is bad due to being bent at some point, but often this is just an indicator of what the whole thing looks like.

[Spittybug]

Run away..

[uhhair]

Here are twi pictures of the engine cradle. It looks surprisingly good. Just sucks cause the rest of the car is decent and price was decent before we saw this. Is there any way to repair this at all?1067010671

[DMCMW Dave]

Here are twi pictures of the engine cradle. It looks surprisingly good. Just sucks cause the rest of the car is decent and price was decent before we saw this. Is there any way to repair this at all?1067010671

You can replace that whole crumple section. If the rest of the frame is good you are looking at a ~$1300 part and a bunch of time and a good welder.

[Nicholas R]

You can replace that whole crumple section. If the rest of the frame is good you are looking at a ~$1300 part and a bunch of time and a good welder.

+1

Take a good look. If it's really just isolated to the front section then that can just get replaced. I replaced my crumple zone in about 12 hours on the saturday of last 4th of july weekend. Pretty much took everything out of the front end, chopped the old crumple zone off, prepped the surfaces for welding, aligned the new front end and clamped it in place, then I welded it up, coated/painted it up, and reassembled it all. Thats certainly paraphrasing but it's not something that cant be done over a weekend.

[DMCMW Dave]

Pretty much took everything out of the front end, chopped the old crumple zone off, prepped the surfaces for welding, aligned the new front end and clamped it in place, then I welded it up, coated/painted it up, and reassembled it all. Thats certainly paraphrasing but it's not something that cant be done over a weekend.

Assuming you have the correct skill set. . . and a way to align it before welding . . and there is enough of the rest of the frame to weld to. Often there is repair to the crossmember involved as well.

[Nicholas R]

Assuming you have the correct skill set. . . and a way to align it before welding . . and there is enough of the rest of the frame to weld to. Often there is repair to the crossmember involved as well.

Just out of curiosity Dave, how do you recommend aligning the crumple zone? I took a bunch of measurements of specific points on the original before removal, then bolted the new one to the sway bar to get the left and right pretty good (my LCA's are pretty well locked in place with the LCA brackets so very little slop), then used a combination of straight edges, levels, measuring tapes, clamps, etc, to get it aligned and all the points where the originals were, then welded it up. I would say of the entire process, getting the new crumple zone exactly was the most tedious and time consuming part.

[DMCMW Dave]

Just out of curiosity Dave, how do you recommend aligning the crumple zone? I took a bunch of measurements of specific points on the original before removal, then bolted the new one to the sway bar to get the left and right pretty good (my LCA's are pretty well locked in place with the LCA brackets so very little slop), then used a combination of straight edges, levels, measuring tapes, clamps, etc, to get it aligned and all the points where the originals were, then welded it up. I would say of the entire process, getting the new crumple zone exactly was the most tedious and time consuming part.

Essentially what you said first time, but then we made a welded steel jig based on a known-good car that makes the process somewhat simpler.

The problem some will have is that the car that they are repairing is not straight to start with, so they'd need to find a friend's car to measure. This is particularly an issue when it was a crash-damage repair or the original was so rusted that it was either bent or falling apart.

[Kenny_Z]

What kind of restoration are you going for with this car? Are you planning to do a long term frame off or a quick "want it on the road fast" clean up? If you were planning to do a frame off anyway and the rust is isolated to that front area then I don't see why it would be a deal breaker. However, I do think 13k is a little steep for that amount of rust. If you believe the rest of the car is solid then try to knock about 2k off the price (or whatever you feel that front clip work is worth) and see if the seller bites.

[David T]

If the frame is that rusted you can expect a LOT of other work too. Especially if you are going to remove the body to repair or replace the frame. If the car is a non-runner it isn't worth more than $4K and that is assuming no damage to any body panels or glass and the car is complete and not a salvage or flood car. For $13K you can find a car with a frame in better shape.
David Teitelbaum




What kind of restoration are you going for with this car? Are you planning to do a long term frame off or a quick "want it on the road fast" clean up? If you were planning to do a frame off anyway and the rust is isolated to that front area then I don't see why it would be a deal breaker. However, I do think 13k is a little steep for that amount of rust. If you believe the rest of the car is solid then try to knock about 2k off the price (or whatever you feel that front clip work is worth) and see if the seller bites.

[uhhair]

Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for the input. We thought the frame looked bad but not having much experience we thought we should get some 2nd opinions. I guess now we have a basis of comparison when it comes to bad frames from now on. Definitely not buying this one, however! Thanks again to all of you!