Frame rail rust repair

Trogdor · Jul 22, 2023

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 · Jul 22, 2023

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

bird_dog0347 · Jul 23, 2023

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

General karthief · Jul 23, 2023

And are those copper brake lines?

Rdub6 · Jul 23, 2023

Trogdor said:
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 · Jul 24, 2023

General karthief said:
And are those copper brake lines?

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

mikestang63 · Jul 24, 2023

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 · Jul 24, 2023

mikestang63 said:
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 · Jul 24, 2023

mikestang63 said:
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 · Jul 24, 2023

Mustang5L5 said:
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 · Jul 24, 2023

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 · Jul 24, 2023

Trogdor said:
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 · Jul 24, 2023

pats91 said:
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 · Jul 24, 2023

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

LILCBRA · Jul 25, 2023

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 · Jul 25, 2023

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 · Jul 25, 2023

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 · Jul 25, 2023

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

limp · Jul 25, 2023

Mustang5L5 said:
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 · Jul 25, 2023

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.

Frame rail rust repair

Trogdor

AeroCoupe

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

bird_dog0347

still married haven't seen testicles in years

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Rdub6

So while I wait to figure out my rear end issues

Kid wita 5oh

I'm definitely not in the original hole

mikestang63

Trogdor

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

limp

wrap a little cheese around it and its a done

Trogdor

pats91

Trogdor

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

LILCBRA

I wish I didn't have all of these balls in the air

KZGUNS

I can swing up to 11”

limp

wrap a little cheese around it and its a done

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

limp

wrap a little cheese around it and its a done

Trogdor

Similar threads

Frame rail rust repair

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

still married haven't seen testicles in years

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

So while I wait to figure out my rear end issues

I'm definitely not in the original hole

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

wrap a little cheese around it and its a done

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

I wish I didn't have all of these balls in the air

I can swing up to 11”

wrap a little cheese around it and its a done

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

wrap a little cheese around it and its a done

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