Frame rail rust repair

[Trogdor]

Finally getting around to fix this. Driver's side is much worse, passenger is only a small section. Just wanted to share some pictures of what it looks like. Today we dropped the K-Member, tomorrow we make the repairs and try to turn the car back into a roller. Here are some pictures:

View from the wheelwell

View from the engine compartment, we had already cut a viewing window

Inside view looking towards the front

Looking towards the rear

Here are the bolts that were holding the K-Member to the frame rail

 

[AeroCoupe]

Holy crap…man that sucks but looking forward to the progress on fixing them.

 

[bird_dog0347]

Oh wow! That was NOT safe at all! Glad you're fixing it right.

 

[General karthief]

And are those copper brake lines?

 

[Rdub6]

Finally getting around to fix this. Driver's side is much worse, passenger is only a small section. Just wanted to share some pictures of what it looks like. Today we dropped the K-Member, tomorrow we make the repairs and try to turn the car back into a roller. Here are some pictures:

View from the wheelwell

View from the engine compartment, we had already cut a viewing window

Inside view looking towards the front

Looking towards the rear

Here are the bolts that were holding the K-Member to the frame rail

My K member bolts looked similar to that. I was pretty shocked when I saw them, as the steel around it looked ok.
LMR to the rescue with new bolts!

 

[Kid wita 5oh]

And are those copper brake lines?

Looks like NiCop brake line. Best stuff they ever came out with.

 

[mikestang63]

geez man, that was not safe to drive. Lots of work there for sure. Easier to pull the engine .. You might want to consider A tubular front end from Team Z as it is lighter, stronger, and will allow you to run a whole host of options for suspension, tires, etc. It may also be actually cheaper and less hours in the end. Have you checked the cowl and rocker areas?

 

[Trogdor]

geez man, that was not safe to drive. Lots of work there for sure. Easier to pull the engine .. You might want to consider A tubular front end from Team Z as it is lighter, stronger, and will allow you to run a whole host of options for suspension, tires, etc. It may also be actually cheaper and less hours in the end. Have you checked the cowl and rocker areas?

Engine and transmission are already out. I did toy with the idea of a tubular K-member, but I'm looking at at least $500+ and that is not including control arms. Just trying to get it repaired so I can drive it. I'm doing heads/cam/intake and full exhaust while everything is apart.

 

[Mustang5L5]

geez man, that was not safe to drive.

Genuinely curious if there have any been any catastrophic failures due to rusted out rails/towers. Being in the northeast, i've seen some pretty nasty cars where you can look in the wheel well and see the headers. And these cars are still being driven. Really makes me wonder...

 

[limp]

Genuinely curious if there have any been any catastrophic failures due to rusted out rails/towers. Being in the northeast, i've seen some pretty nasty cars where you can look in the wheel well and see the headers. And these cars are still being driven. Really makes me wonder...

" Just rolled in" on youtube.... I am shocked at what kind of morons are on the road every episode..

 

[Trogdor]

We did not get to the car yesterday. I've ordered replacement bolts and we are using a repair kit that I found on eBay. Probably be next weekend before anymore progress is made.

 

[pats91]

We did not get to the car yesterday. I've ordered replacement bolts and we are using a repair kit that I found on eBay. Probably be next weekend before anymore progress is made.

What kit did you get? I will be doing similar repairs on my car this winter.

 

[Trogdor]

What kit did you get? I will be doing similar repairs on my car this winter.

Google "Fox body strut tower repair kit" and look for the one on ebay that is around $45.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I used the scott rod kit on one side, and a donor rail from a 99-04 on the other

 

[LILCBRA]

Went through this about 11-12 years ago on an old project. It's not all that bad, just time consuming and labor intensive. Yours looks better than mine did....

Good luck with your project! Hope it goes smoothly for you!!

 

[KZGUNS]

Its not a terribly hard repair if you can weld and do some minor fab work. Once you cut out the bad stuff it wont seem as bad of a job but when its all crusty and crumbling it looks daunting. I didnt use a kit i just bought steel and pieced it together. When you are done coat the inside with Eastwood frame coating or something similar.

 

[limp]

Is it the salty areas that cause this the worst?
A friend took his SBC powered lark to the Bonneville Salt Flats years ago... Salt got into the weep holes on the bottom of the doors and qtr panels... Ate right thru the metal... REALLY nice car that took extensive repairs to make good again..
If not the one in the street ( had 4 or 5 of them) one just like it..

 

[Mustang5L5]

I went to town on mine. Pass side was a patch job

 

[limp]

I went to town on mine. Pass side was a patch job

Does the back part of the frame rail hooked to the firewall, ever rust out? That looks like it would make that job more interesting..

 

[Trogdor]

Some progress on the driver's side. I have a 9-5, M-F and my friend runs the restoration shop. I help him with tuning as he does a lot of LS swaps in older vehicles and he helps me with metal fabrication. It also helps that we are really good friends.

All that to explain that he took time today to work on the driver's side, I was not expecting him to, and here the pictures he sent me of the progress

Already looks much better.