I wrecked this about 2 years ago and i am just getting around to a rebuild. took the radiator support off yesterday, and the core support is lookin like this. does anyone know if this can be fixed? do i need to cut and re weld or can it be bent back? thanks for any info...

 

 

It doesn't look that bad, it could be pulled and welded or go to the junk yard and get a whole support with the ends of the rails and weld it

 

I tried to pull out the crinkle and flatten the front plate so i could mount a new radiator core support. it helped and came out a lot straighter. but i ended up going to the junk yard and cut off a front support with straight end rails and straight radiator support. My next step is to measure and cut the old rails and mount the new front end on. should be fun...

 

 

sectioned the pieces that were crinkeld...


then i measured and cut the new front support based off the cut from my original frame.

 

how do you plan on joining the rail? butt weld, sleeving, etc?

 

my plan is to weld the new front portion of the rails and radiator support onto the originals from the car. i have it lined up and ready to weld but first i need to make sure that everything is going to fit right, like my hood, fenders, lights, etc.... so im preparing everthing to be welded at the moment. here are some more pics of my progress...

 

good luck. I had a del sol that i had to replaced the entire rail behind the shock tower. Its a pita but it can be done at home.

 

Yea I figure it will b ok because it is in front of the engine mount and side trans mount. I just need to make sure its straight and a strong weld. Im curious to know how you went about your front end replacement on your sol... did u have any problem keeping the front straight, lights, hood, etc..?

 

I stole a body manual from work (Honda Dealership). I made measurments. Then made a jig, like what you would for make a tube chasis for a race car. Then had a guy at the bodyshop check it with a frame rack. I had no experiance with body work before that, as I am a mechanic not a bodyman. If you can get you hands on a honda body manual that will help you get it straight, it has the measuring points in the book.

 

I have replaced dozens of front rails. A trick I use to make sure everything lines up is to before I weld anything, I clamp it in place to where I thinks is where it should be than drill 1/8'' holes and put screws in it to keep it from moving. Than put my fenders, hood, and headlights on the car to make sure everything lines up. I also X-out the front end. If things don't line up, I make adjustments until it is right. Then I take fenders, hood, etc. back off and weld every thing up. That was the old way now at my shop we have a computerized measuring system for our frame machine and it really makes life easy.

What kind of welder are you going to use to weld everything?

 

i havent posted in almost a year, but i havent done anything since this last month.
here are some pics of my progress....
i welded the new front end using a mig flux core (no gas). and im no pro welder but did practice before i did the main weld. before i welded the outside of the frame rails i fabricated inserts to weld inside the frame rails for support. here is my end result...




im dropped in a cleaned up d16z6 with a couple mods

looks like it sits crooked, but i have a spare tire on right front.