Bent Chassis...

frozenwaffles · Post by **frozenwaffles** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:06 pm

Hi Guys, i have been told by my mechanic that my chassis is slighly bent. i can understand this as the bonnet doesnt quite sit perfectly flat. i magine the car has been in some kind of front passenger side crash.
i have 2 options:
1. weld the chassis in its surrent position to restrengthen it (there are some very very small hairline cracks, mech thinks its a good idea to have these welded for saftys sake, i think its a good idea too) - $200
2. get the chassis straightend - over $1000... they apparnetly put it on a jig and bend it back to right angles etc. then reweld. i think this is the option i will go with for both peace of mind and having my bonnet sit right again.
has anyone ever had this done or know of this being done??? any commments...

Post by **Bennoz** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:17 pm

Yeah I had an old ford once that required a re-jig...

I would definitely get it straightened, reason being:
a car with a bent chassis will never be able to be wheel aligned properly. Whilst all the you beaut laser alignment gear will read straight, it wont be. As it reads on the assumption that the car is straight. You will end up with all sorts of weird & pronounced wear & tear on the suspension & tyres.

The old Ford esky I had 'crab walked' and ran through a set of tyres every 6 months

Post by **dstocks** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:47 pm

Yep, I agree.

Ill also add that if you can see the misalignment, then so will everyone else. This will drop the resale of your car by a significant amount. Better to get it done right.

Nacho · Post by **Nacho** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:28 pm

I'm about to get this done quite soon to my other FTO so I'm currently removing the engine so it can be done.

Instead of straightening the chassis, I've just bought a front cut without an engine for about $300 and just cutting the whole front frame and welding the new one on.

I wish I could show some pics but I have no idea how to........

I wish I could get a bit more help removing the engine and tranny so I can cut this roof off and put some power to the back wheels!

SchumieFan · Post by **SchumieFan** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 2:29 pm

just tie the corner of the car that isnt straight to a tree and fire it in reverse

Post by **Bennoz** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 3:35 pm

Nacho wrote:Instead of straightening the chassis, I've just bought a front cut without an engine for about $300 and just cutting the whole front frame and welding the new one on.

All the more reason to jig it! Welding a half cut will be far from accurate!
I'd tack it on, jig it, then consolidate the welds...

Jigging is not that expensive guys - its just a machine that pulls 4 chains from each side of the car at varying tensions. You then get in with your set squares & make sure its right. $1000 bucks is a bit steep - I'd be shopping around for a better price.

Sounds like a fun project thou Nacho. If I was in Melb I'd give you a hand

Post by **dstocks** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 3:49 pm

Nacho,

Are you going to have any issues with compliance doing that. I know in the ACT, they get underneath the car and read chasis codes with a UV light. If they dont match, you got problems. Might be worth looking into this before you go too far.....

frozenwaffles · Post by **frozenwaffles** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:47 pm

any suggestions on where to get a better price on the job? by the way, who do you use for mechanics/service?

Post by **Bennoz** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:49 pm

Where abouts in Syd are you mate?

frozenwaffles · Post by **frozenwaffles** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:50 pm

i live in marrickville and work in botany...

Nacho · Post by **Nacho** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:50 am

Well it was actually the black FTO that was selling on ebay a few months ago which I found under the 'Parts for sale' section on this forum.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Mitsubishi-FTO_W ... dZViewItem

I don't know why it's still on ebay considering I bought it privately a few months back.

You can see that the radiator bracket is shot to hell and when you actually see it in the flesh the passenger side has been pushed upwards a little higher than the suspension mount. They're gonna have to cut all the way to the end on that side and just to the start of the radiator bracket on the driver's side. Everything in the engine bay has to come out and I've only got 4 weekends left to do it before it's taken to the panel beater....

So not long before I give you guys results on the Targa roof.

Post by **Bennoz** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 1:20 pm

Alrighty, best mob in your vicinity are these guys:

Alexandria Collision Centre P/L, Cnr. McEvoy & Hiles Streets, Alexandria. PH: 9698 9686 and ask for Phil.
They have what they call a 'Shark' which they use & have all the FTO measurements etc.

And having spoken to them - here is a useful tid bit of information...
Over the years they have done quite a number of FTO's and he said that they are very prone to chassis distortion and from only minimal impact damage. They also have a tendency to want to spring back after being straightened.

FTO338 · Post by **FTO338** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 1:59 pm

Bennoz wrote: Jigging is not that expensive guys - its just a machine that pulls 4 chains from each side of the car at varying tensions. You then get in with your set squares & make sure its right. $1000 bucks is a bit steep - I'd be shopping around for a better price.

I agree, i've jigging a 200sx before, & it was no where near that price.

Half cut would be my last option as the car will never drive the same, had that done to one of my car, 4 wks old from the dealer & some blind cu*t just ran up its ass at 60kmph.

Nacho · Post by **Nacho** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 5:05 pm

Over the years they have done quite a number of FTO's and he said that they are very prone to chassis distortion and from only minimal impact damage. They also have a tendency to want to spring back after being straightened.

So what did they recommend you do then? Is this when insurance companies would usually deem it a write off?

frozenwaffles · Post by **frozenwaffles** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:26 pm

springing back is an intertesting one. i will give those guys a call when i get back to sydney next week. i though that when you get it straightend it would be rewelded again to hold it in its new position... that what my mech said anyway...

onnzo · Post by **onnzo** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:09 am

This process, also known as a "cut and shut" is very dubious. I think there might be registration issues with doing this in Vic too.

I personally would never buy a car that has had this done as you just can never be sure of the strength of the chassis. I wouldn't want to be in an accident in a car with this done to it! Resale value would fall dramatically too.

Think safety!

Mike

Nacho wrote:I'm about to get this done quite soon to my other FTO so I'm currently removing the engine so it can be done.

Instead of straightening the chassis, I've just bought a front cut without an engine for about $300 and just cutting the whole front frame and welding the new one on.

I wish I could show some pics but I have no idea how to........

I wish I could get a bit more help removing the engine and tranny so I can cut this roof off and put some power to the back wheels!

Nacho · Post by **Nacho** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 11:46 am

The underbody chassis will be strengthened to allow for the Targa roof conversion, when the roof is cut. Because it's never been done before, there are grey areas surrounding it. My panel beater has to work in close conjunction with a structural engineer for this to happen considering this car will be used for racing. I already have a separate daily driver.

BuCkEt · Post by **BuCkEt** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 12:38 pm

Hold on....you're doing a targa top to a track car??

onnzo · Post by **onnzo** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:50 pm

Ahh - ok. So is it purely going to be a track car? A targa FTO would be nice to drive on the streets

Nacho · Post by **Nacho** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 4:03 pm

Well if I have to strengthen the chassis might as well cut the roof as well. Obviously roof will be attached during track days and we're gonna try and fabricate some mounts for easy installation/removal of a roll cage when it's required.

FTO AUSTRALIA

Bent Chassis...

Bent Chassis...

Yep

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