Radiator mounting - a bit of rust...!

[MrChris]

Got all the front plastics out over the weekend to get a good look under the frunk and was greeted with the following under where the radiator mounts to. Is this even repairable? Not something I was expecting to have to deal with.

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[J88TEO]

Oops!....a bit of cutting and welding will do....

[MrChris]

Oops!....a bit of cutting and welding will do....

Never welded and wouldn't know where to start. Is this something I could get someone to do on my driveway for me do you think?

[J88TEO]

Yes...a mobile welder can do the job on your driveway.

[Call the midlife!]

If you're paying for someone to weld it I'd consider contacting a breaker such as J Spec and getting a full piece to replace it with. Once you start cutting into that you're not going to be left with much anyway.

[MrChris]

If you're paying for someone to weld it I'd consider contacting a breaker such as J Spec and getting a full piece to replace it with. Once you start cutting into that you're not going to be left with much anyway.

That's interesting, so is it a part that can be removed and replaced (effectively bolted in)? This is much more preferable to me at this point, especially as I'm looking to get a subframe from @J-SPEC too.

[shnazzle]

Might be easier to get a replacement front crossmember and have that welded in instead. They're just spot welded in.




Edit: John beat me to it!

[Call the midlife!]

That's interesting, so is it a part that can be removed and replaced (effectively bolted in)? This is much more preferable to me at this point, especially as I'm looking to get a subframe from @J-SPEC too.

I don't think it'll be a bolt on/off part, I imagine it'll be a case of cutting both out and welding back in. I know people have done similar in the past as it's a fairly common place for rust, either the radiator leaking or the rubber rad bush trapping moisture.
Mine are sat in a teaspoon of red grease...

[MrChris]

Might be easier to get a replacement front crossmember and have that welded in instead. They're just spot welded in.




Edit: John beat me to it!

Okay I feel slightly better about this now... seems that it's only there to support the rad. I was beginning to have visions of having to break the car... 

[Call the midlife!]

I wouldn't say it was massively structural, the main crossmember is further back with the steering rack.
You could probably get something fabricated to do the same job if that's more cost effective.

[shnazzle]

Okay I feel slightly better about this now... seems that it's only there to support the rad. I was beginning to have visions of having to break the car... 

Admittedly not an area I've ever thought to check in all my time owning it. It's not the easiest replacement but the good thing is that welding it in would be quite a quick job. Removing it is probably harder! There are specific spot weld removal drill bits but my guess is you'll just drill them out and pry off. Last time I did this I tried to drill as shallow as I could to remove as much of the weld and top metal as I could without penetrating the bottom metal too much, then pop the remainder of the weld off with a big screwdriver/crowbar.

Mobile spot welder would do the job in 30 mins but, as with most things, it's all in the prep.

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[MrChris]

Admittedly not an area I've ever thought to check in all my time owning it. It's not the easiest replacement but the good thing is that welding it in would be quite a quick job. Removing it is probably harder! There are specific spot weld removal drill bits but my guess is you'll just drill them out and pry off. Last time I did this I tried to drill as shallow as I could to remove as much of the weld and top metal as I could without penetrating the bottom metal too much, then pop the remainder of the weld off with a big screwdriver/crowbar.

Mobile spot welder would do the job in 30 mins but, as with most things, it's all in the prep.

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All sounds reasonably okay if a little time consuming. Next thing is to check the upright sections that they're not too far gone themselves. If they are... well let's see first.

Edit: It also occurs to me that if this is a non-structural part I could just... leave it?? For now at least anyway and get it through it's MOT so I can at least drive it!

[Call the midlife!]

As long as the radiator sits still. Bear in mind the fan assembly is also mounted to the radiator if it breaks free but can't really go that far because of the top mounts and fat hoses.

[fawtytoo]

If it's not structural and is fairly solid still, perhaps strip out the radiator and use some hammerite and/or waxoil.

[Alex Knight]

I couldn't, in all good conscience, leave that without repairing it.

[fawtytoo]

I couldn't, in all good conscience, leave that without repairing it.

Agreed. But in the interim ...

[Topdownman]

Not as bad as my new car! (Imagine snapping pieces off by hand...).

I have ordered a replacement section from Andy at J-Spec. He said that he is seeing more of this problem now. Interestingly he said that toyota changed this area slightly in 2004 and the later cars (like mine) are different, I think he said it was to do with captive nuts?

Its not easy to see much of this area in the normal course of things but if you take out the radiator and fan you may get a shock!

At the very least its worth looking at what you can see and maybe spraying something like acf50 on either side to try to give it some protection?

[MrChris]

Not as bad as my new car! (Imagine snapping pieces off by hand...).

I have ordered a replacement section from Andy at J-Spec. He said that he is seeing more of this problem now. Interestingly he said that toyota changed this area slightly in 2004 and the later cars (like mine) are different, I think he said it was to do with captive nuts?

Its not easy to see much of this area in the normal course of things but if you take out the radiator and fan you may get a shock!

At the very least its worth looking at what you can see and maybe spraying something like acf50 on either side to try to give it some protection?

Oh I was totally snapping pieces off by hand! The two pictures I've posted were after I had broken off the pieces.

I've got the bumper off and I think I'm going to try and get the rest of the plastics off that seem attached to the front subframe. Hopefully the uprights are fine.

It seems to me like water makes its way in to the section, probably via the radiator mounts and then it just sits there. It's probably not helped by the plastics that are wedged in between the radiator section and the front subframe.