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Frame Welding; Control Arm to Frame
Topic Started: Aug 20 2010, 11:34 AM (4,118 Views)
snowfish
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Basic GearHead

I'll be starting my frame horn repairs shortly. :thumb
Posted Image
I'm questioning the integrity of the horn threads that hold the control arm rod. Would hate to have it all buttoned up to have the bolts pull through! :banghead

Should I weld the control arm rod directly to the frame horn? :dunno
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Rooy


No, I wouldn't. Besides, the control arm piece you'd be welding to is cast. It would have to be welded with the correct filler rod and pre-heated to have any structural integrity.

Use plenty of penetrating oil when removing the bolts so you don't gall the threads.

I'd be more worried about the metal around the bolt holes. Cut the upper horn back enough so you can inspect the lower piece. if there's enough thickness left, I would remove any loose rust and use a rust-converting phosphoric acid solution.
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snowfish
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Basic GearHead

Good advice Rooy. I didn't know it was cast. What kind of solution (rust converting) do you use? Heck, maybe I should smear it all over the car! :lol
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Rooy


Well, there are lots of rust converting options out there. I'm not an expert nor have I tried them all. Home Depot sells a phosphoric acid solution by the gallon for about $15 in the paint dept. Phosphoric-Etch or something is the name. I've been trying that out lately and it works well for both light de-rusting and converting rust. I would also oil that cavity thoroughly afterwards.

If you can paint the part, there's always POR-15 or Rust Bullet to encapsulate the rust.
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metro_fiend
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where Geos come to die

Good luck with the repair :thumb lookin forward to some updates!
Edited by metro_fiend, Aug 24 2010, 10:04 AM.
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poorman1


Are you welding it your self?
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snowfish
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poorman1
Aug 21 2010, 06:00 PM
Are you welding it your self?
Yes, with a little help from my next door neighbor. :thumb He has all the equipment needed. Only problem is, we are both way out of practice! :'( I hope to start prepping tomorrow afternoon. Then, if time permits, try a bunch of test welds. :gamerz Actual repair will be mid week due to other projects getting in the way.
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snowfish
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Basic GearHead

Is this good to weld onto?
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Or will the residual rust cause headaches?
(full project in Little Red with Heart)
Just wanted to draw some attention in case I was getting ready to "shoot myself in the foot" as it would be.

Thanks.
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jeff


My thoughts are this: MAKE sure you grind one even edge on the front of the "horn."
Then weld a seam there; this ensures all 3metal edges are welded together. Also on the outboard side of the lower horn I stitch welded a bent piece of electrical conduit.
REMEMBER - this is on the DIRTY SIDE. WHEN IN DOUBT - MAKE IT STOUT.
(that's how I did my 95Metro, other models should be similar).
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snowfish
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Are you saying cut the spot weld lip off entirely? Then wrap a piece around and weld?

You're talking to a very rookie welder here. No clue what stitch weld is.

My neighbor says we'll probably end up with "Gorilla" welds........ugly but strong.
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Coche Blanco
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Gorillas are beautiful creatures...lol
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Rooy


That lower seam is not going to be able to welded to like that. You'll have to grind it back to actual metal.
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snowfish
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Basic GearHead

Rooy
Aug 23 2010, 05:37 PM
That lower seam is not going to be able to welded to like that. You'll have to grind it back to actual metal.
Just grind down until we see fresh metal? Or trim the entire spot welded area off & wrap?

Sure would like to see a few more pics of this repair. I know there has to be more than just Mr. Mullet

http://geometroforum.com/topic/653980/1/#new

And New2metros

http://geometroforum.com/topic/1955238/1/

New2metros frame looks a ton worse than mine. Tips, clues, pics, & insights are very coveted. I hope to get crackin' Wednesday.
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Rooy


I would try grinding on it until you get to some good clean metal. There's at least a couple layers there, so hopefully it's not solid rust, but it could be. In that case, or if it ends up real thin after grinding, I'd cut it off. No sense trying to tie into steel that's not good and will just rust away again. For a long lasting repair, you've got to get back to good metal and make sure you're welding the patches into good metal.

I would trim the jagged rusted edge off the upper piece too. Then you could see into that cavity and assess further rust and treat it.

I have some pictures of my repair, but the rust was extreme, as was the repair. I had to cut the frame horn off completely along with the floor and the mounts for the rear bushing and sway bar.
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duff_remle
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[ *  *  *  * ]
If you do a topic search on the keyword "frame" you'll find some threads with pics of people's frame repairs.
carmech97 had one with some pics of a good start on the job. Shows very clearly how far he cut the bad
stuff out and the first pieces he welded back in.
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