Repair advice before I take the reciprocating saw to it
#16
Rennlist Member
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I agree fully with XS Boost, however you seem determined to want to cut up the car. If that is the case, best of luck. Regardless of cutting or not, you must get the car properly measured (IE Strut towers, rails front and rear and center section). Should be 12 measurements minumum. If you cut it up with the clip and thats what it needs, it still may need to be pulled and still needs to have measurement. It needs to go to a body shop with a frame machine and measuring system end of story
#17
Instructor
Join Date: Feb 2012
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#18
#19
1st Gear
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I have been a body/collision repair man for many years. First: If you don't have experience doing this kind of repair... Pay someone that does. You can put it back together... but let a pro do the weld/alignment work. Second: if the bend is all ahead of the shock towers, then a proper cut/splice is fairly easy. (why your friend goes that route) IF its past the shock towers then you MUST do a frame pull FIRST. You can do a perfect job getting the front clip on and the fenders lined up.. hood shuts...and your steering and suspension will never be correct. It takes someone who knows what they are doing to make sure the chassis is square. Looking at your pics (out of focus and not very detailed) I don't see very bad damage that a good frame shop could not pull. You do not show the front sub structure, so can't say how bad its mangled. You may be able to save the frame horns and just splice in the radiator core support parts. All his is a lot more complex than the average joe will do at home. These cars do not have much slop built into them, so if its off just a bit... everything will be off. By that I mean fender gaps, head light doors. Hood latches. bumpers. On and on. Take it to a frame guy before you start cutting.
#20
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I have been a body/collision repair man for many years. First: If you don't have experience doing this kind of repair... Pay someone that does. You can put it back together... but let a pro do the weld/alignment work. Second: if the bend is all ahead of the shock towers, then a proper cut/splice is fairly easy. (why your friend goes that route) IF its past the shock towers then you MUST do a frame pull FIRST. You can do a perfect job getting the front clip on and the fenders lined up.. hood shuts...and your steering and suspension will never be correct. It takes someone who knows what they are doing to make sure the chassis is square. Looking at your pics (out of focus and not very detailed) I don't see very bad damage that a good frame shop could not pull. You do not show the front sub structure, so can't say how bad its mangled. You may be able to save the frame horns and just splice in the radiator core support parts. All his is a lot more complex than the average joe will do at home. These cars do not have much slop built into them, so if its off just a bit... everything will be off. By that I mean fender gaps, head light doors. Hood latches. bumpers. On and on. Take it to a frame guy before you start cutting.
I see where you are coming from with the pay someone else to do it if you don't have the experience. I do not have experience straightening a frame so this is why I am asking and it looks like the general consensus is to have a professional do the frame work and I will go that route. However part of me thinks there is no reason not to attempt something just because you've never done it otherwise how do you learn? I'm an average joe sure, but I have also been working in the industry for about 5 years, and have formal training. Just not in body work or frame. I have a lot of alignments in my days and I'm no stranger to the theory behind suspension geometry and how/why things need perfect and how to make it happen.
It is interesting that you say if the damage is before the shock towers that a cut/splice is fairly easy. Could you elaborate a bit more? Are you basically saying if the damage to the frame horns is not terrible it should be straitened then the core support spliced and that if the frame horns are bad enough if can be easily cut/spliced? Also you said that if the damage is after the shock towers if can be pulled, I didn't know that I thought there was pretty much nothing you could do once that happens.
I will attach some better pictures that I recently took that might show the damage more clearly and more of it. I appreciate the words of wisdom.
#23
Rennlist Member
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Sir, just so you know myself and xs boost do have experience in the collision industry as well. That is why are giving you advise. Porsche monkey is correct, but you can not be certain that the damage did not travel further back without measurements. This is the reason why both myself and XSBOOST told you to take it to a body shop.
#24
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The new pictures are much better and show that it probably does not a rail sectioned in. Again you need to make sure the center section of the car is straight as well.
#25
Race Car
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Been there, done that on my track car. I have a friend, fellow PCA member and instructor, who runs a pretty high end shop in Atlanta, and they do a lot of race cars.
I took the car to him, along with a front clip. He put it on a frame machine and straightened it out. As the metal was kinked (I'd call yours kinked, too), a section of the new front clip was grafted in, again AFTER the frame was pulled. After it was grafted in place, it was checked again on the frame machine. Note it was grafted forward of the strut towers.
I took the car to him, along with a front clip. He put it on a frame machine and straightened it out. As the metal was kinked (I'd call yours kinked, too), a section of the new front clip was grafted in, again AFTER the frame was pulled. After it was grafted in place, it was checked again on the frame machine. Note it was grafted forward of the strut towers.
![](http://i569.photobucket.com/albums/ss136/67King/Porsche%20stuff/Anders/photobucket-20780-1333838270782.jpg)