I've just been under the frunk for the first time in ages, having a look at the metal worm under there.
For a 20 year old car, I think she is generally holding up pretty well...
But, the uprights which hold the main crossmember in place look particularly bad.
The offside one is, frankly, awful. I have Jenolited the whole area, but I think that area is beyond hope. It is the piece behind the brake pipes etc on the inner wing..
Is this a section I can have cut out and replaced, and has anyone else had it done?
It's an important structural section, so I need to do something about it if I can.

Quote from: Fin on June 26, 2022, 19:54I've just been under the frunk for the first time in ages, having a look at the metal worm under there.
For a 20 year old car, I think she is generally holding up pretty well...
But, the uprights which hold the main crossmember in place look particularly bad.
The offside one is, frankly, awful. I have Jenolited the whole area, but I think that area is beyond hope. It is the piece behind the brake pipes etc on the inner wing..
Is this a section I can have cut out and replaced, and has anyone else had it done?
It's an important structural section, so I need to do something about it if I can.

@MrChris since you found it on mine, this is now the 3rd one with these symptoms.

I think people need to check under their frunks asap!  
Not a well-documented area for rust I think

First I heard of it in 8 years on this forum

I think I know where you mean, but a pic would be helpful.

If we are talking about the same thing;


Then this is what I had with my car. I rang Andy at J-Spec and he likes to send out the whole assembly (all 4 sides as it were) and your welder can then cut out all he needs from that and weld it in. Andy will need to know what year the car is to get the right piece as they changed in 2004.

Then you need to protect the new piece asap. This is tricky if the mechanic is taking out the radiator as it needs to be protected before the radiator goes back in.

Hard to give an estimate but maybe 4 hours labour and less than £100 for the new piece?

Quote from: Topdownman on June 26, 2022, 21:01If we are talking about the same thing;

As he mentions brake lines I thínk he means this x-member; under the plastic bag, behind the steering rack

Yes, Petrus, you are right. Sorry, didn't know the correct term for it.
It is the supporting member to the rear of the wheel well. Seems to hold the wheel yokes and steering bracket in place.

Ah, not like mine then.

I think this maybe the area that @Alex Knight had welded on his car recently?

Quote from: Topdownman on June 27, 2022, 06:35Ah, not like mine then.

I think this maybe the area that @Alex Knight had welded on his car recently?

Not me. Mine was a triple-skinned area near the OSR chassis leg.

Quote from: Fin on June 26, 2022, 22:13Yes, Petrus, you are right. Sorry, didn't know the correct term for it.
It is the supporting member to the rear of the wheel well. Seems to hold the wheel yokes and steering bracket in place.

and yes, it is a structural part. The other two are supports for like the spare wheel bucket and the radiator.
You can see, as you observed, that there are reïnforcements/gussets to the frame rails.
Fingers crossed you can get it repaired.

@shnazzle @Topdownman

I think the issue here looks different to the one I've got, the radiator on mine is still fixed in place even though the support has rusted through in 2 places and it's not structural to the car's body.

I do think generally though it's worth people getting under their frunks and taking a good look and treating everything. It seems that water can pool in certain places which isn't helped by the plastics underneath. If you get crud building up then this retains the water and exacerbates the problem. Also I'd recommend washing underneath the car from time to time as well (I usually give my cars a hose down underneath at every car wash).

Just confirming you mean the one highlighted in green on here?

(sorry Petrus for nicking your photo!)

I havent seen that one needing replacing, but I have replaced the one highlighted in red on the picture. That's classed as the front crossmember - not sure what your is actually called. 

Yes, I definitely agree that people need to have a good look at these areas under the frunk.

If you move the alarm to the car body rather than inside the bin, it not only sounds louder but means that you can drive the car without the frunk bin in. This makes it easier to work on any rust and still keep the car mobile.

Yep, Tricky, it's the one in green. Behind the brake chamber thingy.

Quote from: tricky1138 on June 27, 2022, 08:38(sorry Petrus for nicking your photo!)

Welcome to it; here´s another 

Quote from: Fin on June 27, 2022, 10:05Yep, Tricky, it's the one in green. Behind the brake chamber thingy.

I guess it could be done the same as mine, where you get a decent one from a breaker and re-weld it back in place. Anything is possible.

Quote from: Topdownman on June 27, 2022, 09:31Yes, I definitely agree that people need to have a good look at these areas under the frunk.

If you move the alarm to the car body rather than inside the bin, it not only sounds louder but means that you can drive the car without the frunk bin in. This makes it easier to work on any rust and still keep the car mobile.

I have heard previously that not having the bin and spare wheel in the front can upset the balance/handling of the car given it is so light?

Quote from: MrChris on June 27, 2022, 12:31I have heard previously that not having the bin and spare wheel in the front can upset the balance/handling of the car given it is so light?

Not really the thread to go into that.
Open one on that subject and all will be revealed.

Use an  @Petrus and I will contribute too.

Well, I have some good news today   
I spoke to a mechanic friend (the old fashioned type, who knows more about spanners than computers). He reckons I have caught this just in time. One more rainy season would have been the end of it.
So, this weekend  it's out with the rotary wire brush, and the rustoleum (or similar).
Just going to see if Hammerite still do a smooth dark blue...

Well done Stu, caught it in time

Thanks, but this is a cautionary tale for others.
Don't forget to check under those plastics!
I had an advisory on the last couple of MOTs about underbody corrosion, I thought they were talking about the little rust spot in my engine bay!

Well, the loose paint and loose rust is now off. Lots of Jenolite sprayed all over the place, and S50 wax protector in any cavity I could get the nozzle into...
Paint time tomorrow 

Proof, for any who doubted, that I really can't paint!!
I have been underneath as well  where I could get any paint.

Blue is better than brown!

Quote from: Topdownman on July  3, 2022, 17:19Blue is better than brown!

Especially in the trouser department