Frame rail strut tower repair

[Creomod]

I’m working on a friends foxbody and I’m replacing the frame rails strut tower and the strut towers have a lot of rust so I had to cut out a section. We bought some thin metal/steel sheets from Home Depot just wondering if anyone might’ve done this I need to know how I can replicate the curves on the strut towers? Any ideas? Greatly appreciated

 

[BlakeusMaximus]

I think that’s going to be extremely hard to do. I would try to find some donor rails/aprons out of another mustang.

@Mustang5L5 was able to use use donor parts from an SN95 on his car.

Are the rails and aprons completely rusted out?

 

[Mustang5L5]

On one side i used a donor rail/tower, but on the other side I used the scott Rod kit.

Fox Frame Rail/Strut Repair Kit SIDE Driver Side (Left)

scottrodfab.com

Let me see if i can find some pics

 

[Mustang5L5]

In hindsight, i wish i used this kit with the replacement rail from LMR as well. I have not had an issues or indication of failure but think it would have been much stronger had i done a full lenght rail across vs patching the rail. I do have the opposite side intact so I didn't cut the entire rail out there. I just think it would have been stronger with an intact replacement rail

 

[91AOD5.0LX]

I have zero experience in this repair category so can’t speak with any knowledge but I figured to throw this out here in case it’s helpful as an option.
These are on eBay. Inexpensive and direct fit for our cars. May do the job?

 

[KRUISR]

I just did the passenger side of my son's '89 last weekend. About the same size patch.


I used a sheet of 14 gauge metal (I know factory is 16 gauge but I wanted a little more strength given its a patch) to cut my pieces out of. First I bent the panel into an L to sit on the frame rail and drill the bolt holes into. I used a short piece of 3/4" sch40 pipe clamped in a big vise to hammer my metal around to get the curve (almost identical radius).

I made the tower section with the curves first. Installed it. Then reinstall my factory bolt tubes - there was enough good metal on the tabs beside the tubes to weld to the tower section in place. I then capped it with my original top plate with a patch on the one end. I still need to clean up the top panel a bit, but it is done for now until we finish cleaning up and painting the engine bay/front end.

 

[KRUISR]

I did the driver side rail a month or so earlier and used a donor frame rail from a '97 V6. Only difference I found was the K-member bolt holes had to be moved forward a bit (5/8" if I recall).

The before...


I didn't take a pic with the bad material out but here is the finished product. The frame rail was replaced from the firewall to under the battery box (right on the right edge of the first pic below). Foxbody sway bar mount reattached (as SN mount is different). Yes I repaired both side with the K-member still bolted in place. That way I could use it to align the bolt holes. Also I didn't have to weld the bottom of the frame rails right at the k-member so it never became an issue.

 

[Creomod]

I did the driver side rail a month or so earlier and used a donor frame rail from a '97 V6. Only difference I found was the K-member bolt holes had to be moved forward a bit (5/8" if I recall).

The before...


I didn't take a pic with the bad material out but here is the finished product. The frame rail was replaced from the firewall to under the battery box (right on the right edge of the first pic below). Foxbody sway bar mount reattached (as SN mount is different). Yes I repaired both side with the K-member still bolted in place. That way I could use it to align the bolt holes. Also I didn't have to weld the bottom of the frame rails right at the k-member so it never became an issue.

Thank you soo much for that thanks to all of you yea I figured it be a pain to do that but I guess I’m gonna have to

 

[Creomod]

I have zero experience in this repair category so can’t speak with any knowledge but I figured to throw this out here in case it’s helpful as an option.
These are on eBay. Inexpensive and direct fit for our cars. May do the job?

Thanks for that brother

 

[LILCBRA]

I ended up using a donor rail for the 84 vert I used to have - but it was very similar damage as some of the other pics. I don't recall what year the donor car was, but the strut tower was slightly different where I patched it. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would've just cut the strut tower out and did it all instead of patching it. But replacing the complete rail was pretty easy. I have a number of pics of that project in my media folder if you want to take a look....

+9

84 convertible

• LILCBRA
• Jan 26, 2012
• 18

A few pics of the new project....

Edit: sold 11/13 :(

 

[Nokmuay]

Hi guys, New to forms. I have the standard Mustang issue on my 1990 LX. Strut rot near frame rail. I see that there is frame rail repair kits but is there a strut housing repair kit? I havent found one yet.
Thanks!

 

[KRUISR]

Do you mean the full strut tower - from frame rail to strut mount? If so, only option is find a good used piece. They are not reproduced that I am aware of.

Or make some patches like some of us did above.

 

[Nokmuay]

Do you mean the full strut tower - from frame rail to strut mount? If so, only option is find a good used piece. They are not reproduced that I am aware of.

Or make some patches like some of us did above.

I just saw rot where the rail and tower meet. is repairing the rail or using rail kit then cutting out rot on tower and putting in new metal to the good metal on tower viable?

 

[AeroCoupe]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj6Jk9-5csE

 

[Nokmuay]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj6Jk9-5csE

thanks a ton

 

[Creomod]

I just saw rot where the rail and tower meet. is repairing the rail or using rail kit then cutting out rot on tower and putting in new metal to the good metal on tower viable?

Used the rail kit but now that I did it I could do it with a peice off a car

 

[Creomod]

Did all that used the rail kit lmr and just used flat metal and welded it in and I used a little bit of bondo. This is the first time I did this to a fox. I’d like to do it to my car