2G Strut tower rust [Merged]

[hoodrichhavel]

So I called Mitsubishi and Dodge attempting to order strut towers...and both said they have been discontinued.
Does anyone know where I could order these? Need to find these ASAP so any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Gomes]

So I called Mitsubishi and Dodge attempting to order strut towers...and both said they have been discontinued.
Does anyone know where I could order these? Need to find these ASAP so any help is greatly appreciated.

MB959279 - Front end panel for Mitsubishi Eclipse MNGFLFJ - Genuine parts

Apparently they have them.

 

[auker1]

So i have some pretty bad strut tower rust on my passenger side. It is rusted through with a hole about 1inch by 3inches. the driver's side isn't nearly as bad but its still rusted through. i was thinking about just cutting it out and patching that one myself because it is a lot more difficult to get in around the engine on that side I talked to a body shop and they said to look for the whole strut tower but no one has any. would it be best to cut all the rust out and patch it myself or go to a junkyard and try to find an eclipse with good towers? Also does anyone know of any junkyards on the central pennsylvania area that have eclipses? are there any cars with the same strut tower that i could search for? My car is a 99 eclipse gst.

 

[jjw205]

Depends how bad, and where, the rust is on the tower. Any pics?

 

[auker1]

its pretty bad on the passengers side right at the front of the tower on the flatter part. i can't figure out how to upload pics. im using a mac does that make a difference?

 

[lons99gsx]

Patching it will be easier and cheaper but temporary. A used one will be just as old as yours and likely to rust soon if not already. A new one from mitsu is permanent if installed properly but expensive and time consuming. We replaced one on the pass side of a gst at my shop and there was a lot involved in doing it right.

 

[auker1]

Well if I get a used one I have a sandblasted that I can clean it really well. When u say doing it the "right way". U are referring to drilling the spot welds and rewelding it?

 

[Nightlife Customs]

Let me give you some advice from being an auto body guy myself

Rust is like cancer - once it starts it spreads

The only way to eliminate it is to grind it out with a right angle grinder and some time

Unfortunately the strut area is thin metal - so your idea of cutting it out and replacing it is the best way to go

Only problem is once you put that new piece in - it's only a matter of time until your new patch becomes rusted and the weld is gonna rust faster then your metal

I also noticed that your in PA - when you get snow - the salt in the snow eats away at the metal which in turn - looks like rust - and if you do not wash the under portion of your car a allow the salt to remain

It's like putting acid on human flesh - it'll eat right through it until you solve it

Which didn't surprise me to hear that you had a hole in the car

But I know it's not the kind of answer your looking for but I'm here to tell you that if your willing to go to the extent of cutting and replacing - get yourself some 40 grit discs for a right angle air compressed grinder and TAKE YOUR TIME cleaning it as it is a PITA chore to do

 

[dsmTripp]

Patching it will be easier and cheaper but temporary. A used one will be just as old as yours and likely to rust soon if not already. A new one from mitsu is permanent if installed properly but expensive and time consuming. We replaced one on the pass side of a gst at my shop and there was a lot involved in doing it right.

Let's update your post "a new one from mitsu is permanent if installed properly" now that would be great if mitsu hadn't discontinued that part years ago. So getting a new one is a no go.

To the op... check out one of our venders here miller imports. For a time he was selling strut towers off of cars he is parting for around $150. If not do as has been said before CLEAN cut and patch. Then do a good coat of protectant. Also do a search on here and you will find some pretty extensive threads talking about tower rust and repair. Good luck.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Im a diyer, cut out the area and weld in some new material, bondo, sand paint. Depending on how bad the damage is and do you have any pics?

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/app...r/125717-strut-tower-rust-merged-1-7-a-2.html

buddy of mine matt did his 2g it was pretty bad but he fixed it up and it looked good, read this thread a few pages on strut tower rust on 2gs.

 

[pindlepiper]

Me and a friend just did this to my 2g a few months ago. The passenger side was the worst with a 1" by 3" rust hole after picking at it and the driver side had a spot a hair smaller than a dime. We cut all the rust out, he welded in new metal, and I used POR15 on the top and bottom of the repair. I primed it for the time being and actually just finished spraying the bay with paint last weekend. It turned out really well being our first time doing it. Just get a good buddy, an angle grinder with a cut off wheel and some flap discs, a welder and a case of beer and you should be good to go.

 

[auker1]

hey thanks for the responses and info guys. i talked to a friend of mine who has his own little body shop in his garage. i am taking the car up there next weekend and we are gonna be cutting and welding. his neighbor just did a strut tower in his car so this guy knows somewhat of what im dealing with. ill try to get pics up tomorrow

a case of beer and you should be good to go./QUOTE]
haha yeah I'm only 18. the law looks down on thats sort of thing.

 

[Bergness08]

Whatever you do make sure you don't just bondo/fiberglass over it like the previous owner of my car did. Like these guys say, do it right. I had a shell that had a good strut tower in it that i cut all the spot welds out of and just replaced the whole thing. I bead blasted it, painted it, then undercoated everything. It still looks new after 2+ years.

 

[2slow4now]

If you have rust between the two panels hose it down with a rust converter. Also use a weld through primer in the "trapped" area between the panels to help seal up the metal. Don't use the weld through primer as a primer for a paint base. It won't hold paint well. Best place to use it is between metal layers or in an air gap between two layers of metal like a lap weld.

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internet stolen pic. The lap joint and the air gap between the inner layer and outer layer of the strut tower.

 

[ScrawnyB]

I think mine might take the award for "worst one yet".
This is the driver side of a 98 Eclipse RS (about 146K miles)

Previous owners neglected it quite a bit, and I haven't had much time to do anything with it from my end.

Kinda afraid to grind it off to see the full extent of the damage, but it's pretty obvious mine is completely rotted through as you can see by the "Cave-in"

For those wondering, I have not been driving this vehicle, and I was hoping to get it ready for winter until I saw how bad the cancer had gotten since last winter.

I think I'll be making some calls soon to get an estimate, as I don't do the whole welding thing myself.

 

[Nicks2319]

Hey everyone, been a while since I last posted. Looking to get back into the game and came across a 95 GSX. Main issue i'm seeing is some strut tower rust. I'm not too experienced in body work, so I wanted some opinions on the rust. Need to know whether this is fixable or if I should walk away. Thanks!

EDIT: Posted in Newb section because I can't seem to find the "body" section?

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[92AWDHX40]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/app...ior/125717-strut-tower-rust-merged-1-7-a.html

heres one that my buddy started a while ago.

 

[Insane20]

Take off the fender and start braking off the rusty areas. When you get to solid metal sand the crap out of the areas surrounding the hole. Get a good welder to weld a piece of sheet metal over the hole. Grind down the welds and throw some paint on it.

 

[Nicks2319]

Take off the fender and start braking off the rusty areas. When you get to solid metal sand the crap out of the areas surrounding the hole. Get a good welder to weld a piece of sheet metal over the hole. Grind down the welds and throw some paint on it.

So you think it's not so bad? I'll be taking it to a body shop to have it done. But I want to make sure it's not a lost cause.

 

[Insane20]

Its bad but ive seen worse fixed at the shop I work at. This one customer brought in his 99 gs that we actually had to cut another tower off a junk yard car and weld it on his. A body shop might charge a good bit for it though. Cant hurt to at least get an estimate though.

 

[Boost3d VooDoo]

Yea man I have a very similar problem with strut tower rust. Mine is actually a little worse than this but Non the less those towers are repairable, id say go for it if the price of the car is right.

 

[blindboarder_02]

If you do it yourself, get some weld thru primer, seal out (seam sealer) and duraglass, bondo, polyester filler.

If you dont pretreat the areas you're welding, it will rust again.

Or just take it to a body shop like you said you were going too. I see so many people attempt to this on their own without corrosion protection and it comes back in a couple months to a couple years.

Just my opinion.

 

[fuzzyslipper]

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First time posting on dsm. This is on my 97 eclipse gs. I got it a month ago.love the car dont wanna get rid of it. Does this look fixable? I have access to tools and kno a mechanic that can weld. If its a good repair job can I expect it to last with proper upkeep?

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eclipse rust 2 Pictures, eclipse rust 2 Images, eclipse rust 2 Photos, eclipse rust 2 Videos - Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

 

[skyrone]

so there is no place to buy brand new straight strut towers? just junk yards? this may be the end of my dsming. junk ass metal that you cant even replace? i just pulled the rear end out of a 78 dodge van thatd been sitting for 20 years and it came apart no problem. i go to change the spark plugs on my eclipse and end up breaking 3-4 bolts

 

[bryanwheat]

so there is no place to buy brand new straight strut towers? just junk yards? this may be the end of my dsming. junk ass metal that you cant even replace? i just pulled the rear end out of a 78 dodge van thatd been sitting for 20 years and it came apart no problem. i go to change the spark plugs on my eclipse and end up breaking 3-4 bolts

What bolts did you break changing the spark plugs? My advice would be to find a shell with good strut towers and either cut them out and weld them in your car or use that shell to build. It is a shame that these rust so bad, but there are plenty of non rusted ones out there. At least it isn't a lincoln ls v8 where you cant even repair the engine. They don't even make parts for it, you can buy a whole engine for 6k or nothing.