420A Okay to lower with possible shock tower damage?

[AustinChristiansen]

My 98’ GS has had frame damage before i got it and there is bondo on my strut tower and the apron. it is on stock suspension and i want to lower it, I’ve taken it to shops and they said it wasn’t a problem when they looked at my manifold, And didn’t seem to concerned about it, i’m unsure if it rusted (common DSM problem) or it was from an accident.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Look at the underside from in the wheel well. You might have to jack it up, and possibly pull a plastic cover. If the rust is not through and through then you should be fine.

Any questions?

 

[Widgmaster]

In my opinion using bondo to repair a shock tower is asking for trouble . Even using it to hide a crease made by an accident is not some thing you should do. Remember that the shock tower is an important part of the over all frame. I would get that welded and if necessary add a backing plate to insure strength . Also check to see if you have wear on your tire on that side with the bondo repair . That tower being out of wack could cause an aliment problem .

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Everybody uses Bondo the wrong way. I don't think it's supposed to be applied more than 1/8 inch thick.

 

[Ludachris]

Another thing to consider is that the 2g shock towers tend to rust. I'd be concerned that someone tried to mitigate the rust and used bondo. Might be unrelated to the frame damage. Either way, it's concerning.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Another thing to consider is that the 2g shock towers tend to rust. I'd be concerned that someone tried to mitigate the rust and used bondo. Might be unrelated to the frame damage. Either way, it's concerning.

After looking back at the pics, that really is the exact spot that is prone to rust.

@AustinChristiansen Is it like that on both sides, or only the passenger side?
One thing you can do to test the thickness of the Bondo is tap a metal part of the strut tower with the tip of a screwdriver to get a reference sound, then tap the Bondo covered area and listen for a difference in solidity. The metal will have more of a "ping" sound, while the Bondo will sort of lose that sound. The more Bondo, the less of a ping sound.

 

[609DSM]

Looks to me like some rust bubble underneath the bondo on the strut towers. My strut tower on the driver side was patched with a thick plate, dont know who did it but whatever. I have megan coilovers the higher priced ones with the 28 or 32 dampener setting I forget which, rides fine. Dont get me wrong I worry all the time about the rust on my car, no way to fix it financially right now so I have to deal with it.

My advice: fix it the proper way then lower the car, I have seen a member mention he has fixed his strut tower rust by replacing that piece of the frame. It is spot welded along the seams. He mentioned drilling the welds out of the donor car and removing them reinstalling on his.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

My advice: fix it the proper way then lower the car, I have seen a member mention he has fixed his strut tower rust by replacing that piece of the frame. It is spot welded along the seams. He mentioned drilling the welds out of the donor car and removing them reinstalling on his.

I don't think the o.p is looking to do this kind of work. He really just wants a yes or no on lowering his car.

If it's safe then yes, if it's unsafe then no. We just need to determine how bad the damage is.

 

[Mello]

I don't see why lowering your car (or not) would make any difference to safety & your strut tower condition. If the strut tower(s) is compromised from damge and or rust they may be suspect to their integrity & safety, lowered or not.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Depends if he wants to lower the car for looks, or for performance. If its for looks, go for it. If you're trying to hit the track or drive hard, I'd drop those plans until you have a solid car to work with.