OH NO!!! Front chassis leg damage.

[lpr1981]

After stripping the bumper, slam panel, lights, radiator etc from the front of my S16 I have discovered some chassis damage!!

The cross-member is badly damaged and the N/S chassis leg has a slight bend in it causing buckling of the top panel where the ABS pump is sat.

Has anybody here ever had a chassis leg repaired or replaced? I assume it is a guaranteed MOT failure due to it being dangerous.

What should I do now? Help

[bashbarnard]

It wont be a Garenteed fail. Ive had a fiesta front end completely cut off and an entire side welded in by a body shop. Wasn't mine was a friends. It is possible just expensive.

[Seb_Ryan]

How good are you at welding? Easy fix if you're good with metal work tbh

[lpr1981]

How good are you at welding? Easy fix if you're good with metal work tbh

I have a MIG welder and about four years of welding / fabrication experience but not on cars.

Any ideas where I can get the parts from, especially the leg?

[Seb_Ryan]

Scrap car.. Best bet is go to a scrappy and cut off well past the damage, preferably right back to a join, drill spot welds out and put new one on

[Connor]

I've had a leg pulled out straight

[lpr1981]

Sounds like a plan, it would be a shame to scrap it there is not many S16's about now.

[bashbarnard]

I was gonna say deffo fix it. Not worth it going to scrap yard. Getting rare as you said.

[Seb_Ryan]

Btw i wasnt saying ti scrap yours.. I meant get a leg from a scrapped car lol

[lpr1981]

Btw i wasnt saying ti scrap yours.. I meant get a leg from a scrapped car lol

I know mate.

[welshpug]

how bent is it? my zx was pretty bent lookung but I managed to straighten it out with a mate, porta power jack and big and all hammers

[lpr1981]

After further investigation and removing a couple of the panels from the very front of the car I think I can straighten the leg with a reasonable hammer and a piece of wood. Most of the damage is definitely around cross-member and the panels that it is spot welded too. I have managed to source 80% of these panels for a very good price and they are genuine but am unable to get a cross-member, once I have removed it from the car it looks like I can straighten it. The only thing that concerns me is going from the two panels I have removed so far the metal seems really soft and possibly brittle and it may not be up to much straightening as it will probably make it weak, I guess it was designed this way so it absorbs most of an impact (which it did). If it breaks I will find a scrap yard for a donor!

[puglove]

I bent a chassis leg on a Dt some years ago it was 1" lower & 2" wider than it should of been. I put a big bar in the front of the leg and bent ot back into place. There was an obvious crease on the side of the leg down the side of the cambelt casing and it happly passed a couple of legit MOTs like that.

[Pebbles167]

I bent one on my Gti6 a few years back. If done to a fair standard, it will be fine. I bodged it and it worked out OK. Let me explain.



To fix this I secured the car to a drain cover on the ground using several heavy duty ratchet straps (secured to the car at point 'A') an jacked the chassis leg up (from point 'B') using an electronic tail lift on a delivery truck.



Worked out fine, and was able to refit slam panel, rad and wing. Inspected and told it would pass MOT... but then scrapped due to a change of plan

[lpr1981]

WOW! Thanks for the pics, a definite insight into what I am up against and when compared to the bend that your GTI 6 had it is not that bad.

I would not call your repair a bodge, you used the tools you had along with your ingenuity. Brilliant!!

[daddyfixit]

in work we have huge steel bolllards to stop cars reversing into walls (about 12" in diameter)-----I wrap a chain around the bollard---attach to point B on your car and then reverse the car away !!! pulled out several cars that turned out ok.