Frame Rot

[Psevins]

Discovered this while checking my fuel line. Am I insane for thinking this can be patched? it's the front right rail. The bottom is solid, just the sides are gone.

[spl310]

That looks extremely bad.

[Psevins]

Yeah, so far it's the only bad spot. There is a bare frame for sale near me but not looking forward to moving everything over.

[redroadster]

What's it do when you try welding it ...melt ?
Welding new metal to old rusty metal is tough and likely foolish . The new steel takes extreme heat , the rusted steel melts into a puddle . The rust pits thru the steel and sideways thru the pitting. it's 1001
I bet your welder wants no part of it as he is responsible for it going forward

[Psevins]

There would need to be some surgery first I'd think, cut back to solid metal then attach new pieces in a bracing fashion.

This is all speculative till I talk to my welder.

[dads311]

If it were me, after looking at your frame, and there was another one nearby I would for sure buy it. If there is a part of your frame looking like that there will be more, you just may not be able to see it yet. Changing everything over isn't too bad, I did it. There was a bit of a hassle at the DMV getting it registered because I wanted the original frame number on the new registration since my car is a 67.5, but it was do-able. I think changing frames would give you much better piece of mind.

[Psevins]

You're right, it just changes my "rolling restoration" to a full on restoration. Different mind set. The new frame lacks any suspension bits so it would require a full swap.

[C.Costine]

Your pics don't come up for me but I have replaced a lot of rusty metal. Redroadster is right, you can't weld to rusty metal, but you are also right, you keep cutting back until you get to good metal, clean the surface rust, grind good edges, then weld your new material in. While you have it open you can clean and apply interior protective coating. Don't make your decision until doing a good exploration and find out what you really have. On the other hand I wish that I had removed the body from the frame in the first place while rehabbing mine because I could have saved a LOT of time.

[Psevins]

I'm thinking if I did try and repair I'd still need to pull the body in order to get at the offending area well enough to make any repairs. At that point I would find any other frame issues that may exist. Since I'd be pulling the tub anyway it seems in my mind to be just as easy to move everything good over to the new frame.

[Gregs672000]

Ugh man, if it's THAT bad on the relatively thick frame, I'd be very concerned about where the body attaches to the frame as the horse hair mats collect moisture. Mine was rusted through the thin top cap but the rest was solid. Sorry for your discovery, but if you have access to a better frame I'd highly suggest it! I'd also media blast the new frame and treat it with a rust converter if any remains or cannot be reached and/or a quality paint. I rented a sand blaster kit that also vacuumed the media and rust up at the same time so I did it in my driveway (always on a budget, then and now!). The unit took a bit longer but it was considerably less messy. Folks here will likely suggest their favorite conversion products. I personally have been very pleased with Sem Rust Seal (not rust mort) as the rust has never returned to the places I can directly see and are still exposed after 30+ years. Also, ask or review posts about pulling the body off the frame and supporting it properly while apart as the body can bend, especially with the doors off. Might feel overwhelming but with the support and information from this group you will handle it.

[eye]

Look at where the rear springs attach also on the bottom of the frame.

[Psevins]

Decision made, picking up the new frame in a week or so. I may still try and repair the old frame if it's not to bad and offer it up for sale.

[C.Costine]

I doubt if repairing the rusty one with the intent to sell would be worthwhile simply because frames are on Ebay all the time.

[Psevins]

Wasn't planning on selling for big bucks, just to cover my expense of the repair *if* it was doable.

[Psevins]

Planning my frame swap, is it recommended to remove the engine and transmission before the body? On my spitfire the tub came off easily with them installed but this is a different beast.