Lachlan Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 And now it looks like she's no more than a parts car. Check out the frame damage: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyeights Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Can't really tell what I'm looking at here, could it be whale intestines? How about some smaller wider shots or ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Whale intestines with an ulcer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biffanyus Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 WTF is that????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Sorry, size fixed. That's the driver's side front wheel well shot from inside the engine bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biffanyus Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Im no expert by no means but cant that be straighten??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 I'm not seeing how this is fatal, unless it is just the camera angle. To me anything but a tree (or something like that) or rust is fixable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 (edited) Is it? I thought a frame buckle was death. But then I've never fixed a frame before. Do go on. I mean I know anything is fixable, for a price. But would it cost more to fix vs. Finding an already straight frame? Edited June 7, 2011 by Lachlan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 (edited) it can be professionally fixed with a frame machine, fixed to spec but may cost a few thousand to get it right. This is a Subaru, not worth professional fix. Use chains, and come along and pull it out best you can using a tree or heavy frame of a truck as anchor. Get panels to fit, done. no cost there but you time Heck, you can use spacer washers or blocks behind the bumper beam mount to make it sit out where it looks good. Same for fenders and headlights, use shims until you get it look good, who cares about the frame buckle. A brat is a BRAT. Just make it look good and leave the character dent Edited June 7, 2011 by bheinen74 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. Maybe it's not as bad as I thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyeights Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Look at it as an opportunity. You can modify the frame and reinforce it to accept that DOHC WRX engine you always wanted to put in:banana: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 With a frame buckle like that, I wouldn't feel safe driving it. If you try and repair it, then get into an accident, it can cause more harm then good. As a professional body tech, I would replace it if it came in to be repaired. My $0.02, go find one thats more of a parts car, cut out the whole corner of the car and splice it into your body if its worth keeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 Here's a better picture of it: I was going to leave it alone, but I've been working so much to repair rust holes, and now the engine is pulled, so I thought I'd at least revisit repairing it. In addition to the above-mentioned solutions, I figure I could do one of the following: 1) heat it up and hammer it out 2) torch it out and weld in steel of similar (or thicker) thickness What do you think of those ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonvo Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 i would use a come along and pull it out as much as possible before doing anything i would get it as straight as i could then run some c chanel over it (1/4 inch thickness maybe) weld c chanel in place forming a nice renforcment then redrill any holes you might need then do the same to the other side so its just as strong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 since it's in right front of all the suspension mounting points you really should do some measurements to make sure all of that stuff is still where it's supposed to be... the engine crossmember would have gone a long ways to keeping it in place... but better off to be sure... also, whatever type of repair you do/or don't do, be sure to paint the areas where the damage is, just to seal it, or those spots will become rust areas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talldude Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Agree with McBrat, it doesn't look too bad. Straighten out what you can and weld a doubler over the kinked area- form it over the box so it fits well. It can be same guage or slightly thicker. The crossmember probably kept your suspension in place but it's worth measuring out. How's the rest of the truck rust-wise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted November 8, 2011 Author Share Posted November 8, 2011 Epilogue: Well, I tried pulling it out with a come-a-long, and torched it at the same time, but still the big kink didn't move. So I decided just to cut the 'rail' out: I was surprised at how thin the stock metal is on these. I would guess 18 gauge or thinner. So then I pulled, torched, and hammered at the remaining sheet metal. I couldn't get all the kinks out, but got it a little straighter. So I attached a 16 gauge sheet to help reinforce the sheet metal: And replaced the rail with some 1/8" x 2" stock and primed: Not perfect, but a valiant effort, and probably good enough for the brat. And yes, the headlight wires fell victim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Nice! You could probably do some further straightening with a 3 lb hammer and blocks of wood, to strike down the buckles and push things back straight. My 94 legacy was crushed in at the ehadlight and bettery, and the fender folded 5 ways. I was able to straighten it out enough to replace the headlight, attach the headlight, and close the hood. The grille sits a little crooked. But the battery was crushed and the battery tray folded up, and a 3 lb hammer did most of the work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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