Subframe Mount/Frame Rail

[SySt]

I removed my rear subframe today to find something ugly. The rear most mount on the left side of the car has a decent amount of rust. I do not think the integrity of the frame rail running the length of the car has been reduced much. However the rail that goes between the two long frame rails has been weakened. I have a picture attached below.

What do you guys suggest doing about this? I drove it like this for 1+ years without noticing it's effect. Should I just grind off the excess of the support rail and cut/weld a 1/8" plate to give the structure strength? IJ, I hope you read this one as I know you're a welder.

 

[SySt]

^BUMP^

 

[Adjuster]

The rusted area needs to be removed as you noted, and a new part, or metal welded back into place. Then the inside and out have to be painted or your rust will just come back again.

You might be able to find a good section of that rail from a wrecked Supra. I don't know if Toyota still sells that rail seperately.

Since this is a subframe mount, your going to want to measure very carefully, or use a repair shop with a good measureing system. If you mount this part wrong, your suspension is not going to sit right, and your alignment is going to be difficult, or even impossible to get right.

 

[SySt]

I know a lot about how precise this needs to be. However I do not have a welder nor am I the greatest fabricator. One question though, what do you mean by painting the inside? How might you go about that? Paint the peice before it goes on?

 

[IJ.]

Syst: Only hassle with fabbing a part to repair that is our cars are made from Hitensile sheet, this allows the material to be much thinner, if you replace it with plain jane mild steel go twice as thick it'll be heavier but around the same strength.

You can cut a section from a doner car but you need to be very careful welding it in as heat will reduce the strength of the Hiten steel.....

Whenever I do anything like this I massively overbuild it in structual areas.

 

[SySt]

Well IJ, I do plan on eventually reworking the majority of the frame. I do nto want you guys to get the wrong impression. The beam connecting the two main frame rails at that point is garbage as you can see. However both frames rails themselves seem to be perfectly fine. I think some 1/8 mild steel will be enough given the fact that the subframe should not take much vertical load. Maybe I am wrong here...

BTW I doubt I will do the welding, I can get a MIG welder at my house. However then you run into the problem of me not be an excellent welder, and then trying to MIG weld upside down...

 

[SySt]

Here's an idea IJ, take a flight to my place along with your welding machine of choice and fix it up for me.

 

[IJ.]

Syst: LOL you have no idea just how tempting that idea is right now !