davidm_comp

While I was re-wiring the car I came across this....my passenger side lower a-arm mount welds look like they have broke. Looking for some advice on how to fix this, I was thinking I would clean up the existing welds and try rewelding the broken area, if this doesn't work I might pull the motor and cut out the whole thing and reweld it and weld some gusset plates in to beef it up.....ANY suggestions or tips are greatly appreciated....

0Willcox Corvette

I have seen this more than once and even had one car where it actually broke loose. This is usually the end result of the car taking a side impact. The support will pop loose and then the body shops usually just welded them without treating the area after the fact.

You might try just as you suggested. . .cleaning it up and welding it! This would be the easy way and may hold just fine. I would just keep an eye on it after you are done!

Tuff call on pulling the engine for the repair, however I did do this on a 78. We really did not have a choice since the support was about to fall off the car and rust was everywhere around the repair. Personally I would pull the engine and do it the hard way, but it would be the right way.

Good luck!

Willcox Inc.

BTAL

I'm smellin' a Frame off restoration in the wind....

0Willcox Corvette

I just noticed, it looks like a cat, dog or something hairy under the front end in the first pic? ? ? ? ?

Anyway, sometimes when the frame shops pull the cars this part after a smack this bracket will pull loose too!

Willcox

0grandmastercorvette

Willcox is right again. You will more than likely need to pull the engine so you can get this issue repaired correctly, or at least remove components that allow you to gain access for proper preparation for welding. Also, the part that is broken loose is available for replacement if nedded due to rust and its integrity may not be all that good by judging the way it appears in the photos. Inspect the lower bracket also along with any separations in the welds that are used in welding the upper and lower cradle pieces together. The lower bracket is also available if needed. Good luck, I have repaired this area many times and it is no fun---to say the least. "DUB"

davidm_comp

Ok, so I know I cannot weld that good, extra hard since I had very limited amount of space to work with and a crappy 110v lincoln stick welder, but here is the band-aide I put on it until I can pull the motor, grind off the welds 100%, and get some gussets in.....

burners

That will probably hold for a little while. You should be ok for a bit. Don't delay with a proper repair, make it a top priority. I will echo the comments about checking the lower channel as well. When the upper part breaks it will either cause the lower part to fail or the lower part has failed and it caused the upper to fail. They both work together. I completely welded my channels after repairing a similar failure to yours. BTW, it looks like that area on your car has been repaired before. Also, make sure you restore the geometry (the mount has pulled away from the frame about .25"). Otherwise the cross shaft is getting undue stress and that will affect the forward mount as well. Here are photos of my repair.
Before:

After:

davidm_comp

Thanks, yeah I pulled it back by putting a bolt in the hole and clamping that to the frame then welding. I will crawl under the car tonight and check the lower....

seventysixvette

I've expressed suprise before with how much front crossmember/lower control arm mount ripping and tearing these cars suffer. Do a search and you'll find numerious threads on this.

In my case, the right lower control arm mount had ripped clean away from the crossmember.



I decided to pull the engine and do a few other projects while I had the engine compartment open. I replaced the lower pan on the crossmember, and braced the interior of the crossmember with 2" square tubing. Then I built my own a-frame shaft plates and fabbed some good angled supports.



It was a great time to slide a jeep power steering box in and rebuild the front suspension.

John

1982CorvetteDude

Just a question, what did you use to make these welds? Is there anything I can run down and get at harbor freight resonably to do the job? I\m not going to be using the welder all the time so I didn't want to spend a lot.

I have a frame I'm working on and want a decent welder to clean up my welds with. Of course I will practice on some scrap steel first

Thanks