Looking for some advice on RUST

[thearkatek]

Ok so I know this isn't a DSM question, but since this forum has a lot of smart people I thought I'd ask anyway. The two pictures attached are of my GF's 1992 Celica GT. It's the end of the frame rail where the two front swaybar mounts attach to. I'm looking to either weld it myself or get it welded at a shop.
Has anyone dealt with similar situations?
Is there an easy way to fab up the pieces necessary?
And what do you think the ride would be like if we removed the sway bar totally (I know that sounds crazy but ppl seem to do it all the time with these Celicas)

Thanks!

 

[GSLENK]

I know for a fact without a swaybar (or stabilizer bar) your ride will feel a LOT looser up front. If she drives like a grandma, sure she might be ok. but it will suck if she is a exit ramp drift queen.

My f150 noticeably lost cornering ability when I broke a stabilizer link.

Now onto the rust itself, IDK, not my area of expertise, except I say, get rid of it.

 

[thearkatek]

hahaha ya she definitely is a granny driver. Like "80km/h in a 110km/h zone" driver. But I am pretty sure I want to fix it right so it will be safe. I doubt it will pass inspection if they notice the swaybar has just been taken off anyway.

 

[erkitner]

Wow. That's a pretty significant rust issue. I was hoping just to see simple rust and throw a "wire wheel and repaint" corrosion control measure. But your issue seems to be much deeper than that.

After you do get that figured out, I have seen people put a light coat of RhinoLining or Line-X on the undercarriage as corrosion prevention and it seems to work great. But obviously don't put that OVER rusted out sections.

I'm sorry I can't be much help here, but I do wish you good luck.

 

[thearkatek]

Ya it sucks, but I've dealt with worse. And it's funny cause the rest of the car is SOLID. Like the rockers show no more than just some surface rust at spots. These cars are just known for that spot to rot right out. Definitely going to get rid of all the rust before putting anything else in.

 

[90laserIA]

Hopefully i can help am and a collision repair student and my father is a collision tech with 27 years of experience oh and i graduate in a few months so i do know alot.

OK here is what i can tell you for sure about the rust spots. First of all if you have surface rust get it covered with primer and if there are rust bubbles in the paint they are generally larger than the spots you can see.

as for your sway bar area its going to need to be cut out. you will need some kind off flange tool either pneumatic or manual. First make a rough patch the rough size and shape that you will need. I guarantee that you will have a larger area then you see that you will need to patch so make your patch fairly large.
Then remove any thing flamable that is in the general location of the rust, this means inside and out. you'll also need to remove the sway bar.

Then start cutting out the rusty spot try to save the shape of the rail that the sway bar bolts to and form your patch around that.

from there once you have the rust all cut out use the flange tool you indent the edge of the cut out section of the car giving your self 1/4 in overlap for the patch. Then start by test fitting your patch and getting it the right shape.

Once you get the patch the right shape with all the normal indents in it then start to stitch weld alternating sides to keep the patch from warping. Once your done stitch welding the patch in then grind the welds down flush with the patch and the body surface of the floor. Then grind to bare steel 4 or 5 inches around the patch or to a seam and apply lightweight body filler over the surface of the patch and use a long board sanding block untill the contour is correct . Then prime the area and paint it with automotive pain not spray paint. Then if wanted clean the area and allow to dry completely then use a rubberized undercoating.


This is best done by a body shop.

good luck and if you do it yourself hit me up with any questions

 

[DeadlyScone]

^
You can put some coroseal on before your prime so the rust will not come back in that spot.

 

[Afizzle]

cut it out and patch it and replace any parts you can with brand new oem

 

[thearkatek]

Thanks guys, I think I'm going to get a few more quotes from the body shops around here. I've done a fair bit of welding and rust repair, but nothing of this magnitude.

 

[Doesnt start monthly]

Regardless of who was or is driving the car for safety reasons car needs fixed ASAP! I broke a swaybar link on an exit ramp and almost rolled it In my old Honda. Safety first esp when it's for your woman!!!

 

[SweetSandMan]

Yikes...going to need a lot of work to fix that. At some point...is a '92 Celica worth putting probably $1k+ into?

 

[GofaST4life]

This is ultimately was lead to the demise of my '91 GT4 Alltrac.

Id be willing to bet that the complete uni-body under there is compromised.

Mine was so bad they couldn't even align the car.


Get rid of it.

 

[thearkatek]

Regardless of who was or is driving the car for safety reasons car needs fixed ASAP! I broke a swaybar link on an exit ramp and almost rolled it In my old Honda. Safety first esp when it's for your woman!!!

Ya she isn't driving it at the moment we are just working away at it. And the rest of the body is actually in really solid condition (strangely enough). I'm not willing to drop $1000 on this repair, but for a car we paid 500 bucks for last year, I'd like to drop another 300-400 to get this fixed.