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Wedge TR8 body repair question

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PATR8

PATR8

Jedi Knight
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I have put my 8 away for the winter but as I was crawling around I found where the lower trailing arm on my rear axle mounts has become really weak. It feels like I could press my finger thru it if I tried. There is no rust thru but I can see it is really thin. I have a donor car waiting to be hauled off and it is A1 good shape. I spoke to a local metal repair shop and they suggest cleaning the area and welding new steel over the bad side and the other side because he says the design is weak to begin with. I was more thinking cutting the spot out of my old FHC and welding it in. What do you guys think?
 
Sounds like a good time for the Ford Posi to me. to me.
 
Stop with the temptations, I have a Volvo I have to take car of now too. We (my son and I) are looking at all new bushings there. But just out of courosity, what needs done to swap in a ford posi? There is a new speed shop with a dyno just a few miles from my house. I am tempted to go and be dissapointed in how little rear wheel HP I have. It is my morbid courosity versus my blessed ignorance. I could keep saying what Ted says I should have or go actually find out.
 
I don't like the idea of welding over the existing metal. Too much chance of trapping water and making things worse. Did you talk to Geither's?
 
Who is Geither's? I was at a place called the metal medic who specializes in older cars and restorations.
 
Geither's is in Lyndora, first block down from Rt. 356. The father was an instructor at BCCC. I had work done there years ago and was very pleased. The only problem would be getting the car there for them to look at.
 
Major Scott- Happy Vets day to you and all. :grouphug:
 
I will be tackling the very same spots in the next few days. I plan to grind the floor pan areas, spray with zinc-rich primer and weld on patches and then undercoat the patched areas. Welding pieces from the inside as well sounds like a good idea.
 
I understand the concern about overlapping plating, but isn't the additional metal the standard approach to building up additional strength in this area?

Not arguing with you Doug - just trying to understand.
 
There is no corrosion at the spot, it is right in front of the sloping part of the mounting point. How Mark explains it is how the guy who wants to fix it suggested. Lots of Vets over there still, say a prayer for them all for Vet's day
 
I add extra sheet metal to the floors of ALL of my cars, whether they are rusty or not. Wedges are seriously weak in that spot, and most converts have rust there from leaking rain water gathering in that spot. If you go to a high HP car, you will rip the floor anyway. Start by removing all of the undercoating from the bottom, and the seam sealer and paint from the inside. Use sheet metal that is thicker than the metal that is there. My favorite is sheetmetal gathered from roofs and deck lids of parted out cars. It's thick and usualy not rusted on parts cars. I weld in several angled pieces on the inside of the car. They should be attached to the floor and to the hump in the floor at the rear. Weld in pieces on both sides of the seat platform that extends forward. Under the car, start by welding the seams under the lower control arm attachment points. Weld in pieces next to the attachment ears. Take a large piece of sheetmetal(something like 8" by 10") and attach on the bottom. Have the rear edge follow the rear seam. Use a hammer to make the piece contour to the bottom of the floor. I like to drill several holes in the piece for spot welds as well as a perimeter weld all around it. Once the welding is done, grind smooth the welds and paint with a good chassis paint, and a rubberized undercoating. One more thing I like to do is weld grade 8 fender washers over the control arm mounting holes. The factory holes tend to oblong over time, which will lead to the car pulling left and right when you hit the gas and let off. Should take several hours to do both sides, but it is worth the effort. Make sure someone is around with a fire extinguisher. I once did a car where the carpet I pulled away, caught on fire when it flopped back over the spot I was welding.
 
Todd's suggestion and how-to sounds good to me. This is the known week point on a TR7/8 and for me it's the most convenient time to do it, what with the interior out and the body setting on axle stands. Both sides on my TR7 have about 1/2" of corrosion at this location.
 
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