Thank you. I'm glad to hear that.
Awesome

 

Good luck with the repair. Glad nobody got hurt. This is probably a stupid question, but you did order two of all the parts, correct? This would be a great time to take the other side apart, and check it for safety.

 

much appreciated, thank you.
And yes, we ordered parts for both sides...

 

I didn't realize we weren't getting more traditional style resto parts until it was too late. meaning, I've NEVER done this before and I'm learning the whole time.
I told my mechanic and our OPG "advisor" I was basically staying stock or OEM style, this is what I got.

Since then I see clearly these are mostly standard parts that even Napa has. BUT when checking prices at my awesome local parts store,
Monument Auto Parts, some of these prices were the same.
Even ordering from Moog directly last night, cost more than going to Monument. It's never fun to learn I could have saved a lot of money, RIGHT after spending the $.
Before 20 people state the obvious and tell me it's not too late.
For lots of different reasons, I'll humbly add that I paid for convenience on some level. some of the parts I got, were coming from OPGI and no where else. By my preference. Also, I need all these parts here Monday am at the latest, and it took some effort and cost, just to source the missing Moog inner tie rod ends. As as I already said, they cost a bit more than if I'd gone to the store. The rest of the parts would have been much better bought some where else. lesson learned.

And after all is said and done, I'm thankful to learn what you told me.
How ever painful it may have been.

 

Coulda, shoulda, woulda...
Here's what you should do,
not assume things.
Like, I'm not crippled.
Or that I have full mobility.
Or, I can use my back any time I choose.

I needed this stuff delivered,
as my broken back doesn't work every day of the week.
Going for simple returns and exchanges can be complicated,
having everything here for Monday was paramount.

Thank you

 

6:58 PM
7:04 PM9:39 PMWow. Are you serious about this? I don't know you but perhaps you should see your medical professional about your dosages.

And as my last piece of information to you, EVER due to your attitude, bipolar disorder, over-medication, or whatever your issue is, look at www.rockauto.com for parts. Very good prices and they will deliver to your door.

 

You're being rude. I made the mistake of replying.
I'll take the responsibility for that.
You've already said enough...

Thanks

 

Whoa!.
Come on everyone, this forum is seeing too many spats between members.


Ces, we didn't know you were disabled. We are sorry to hear this and wish we could help.
We are trying to help as much as we can by suggesting solutions to your problem. Sometimes we send a post before we have thought it through and wrong impressions are taken.


Let's think twice before we post and restrict ourselves to helping Ces fix his car.


If one of us makes a post that seems to be flaming or rude let it go. Life's too short.


Roger.

 

Wow, I just found this thread.. Pretty scary. I hope my frames are ok. I had a similar thing happen w/AAA. I went in a ditch in the snow w/ a Dodge van. I called AAA and they send a guy out and he a he wouldn't pull it out unless I paid some more. I refused and he left me there! Out in the country about 10 pm! I since found from a buddy who tows cars for AAA that they only pay a very small amount to their contracted wrecker owners. I have since found auto insurance elsewhere for less and cancelled AAA. Good luck in getting your car fixed. It is a beautiful car. I think its just a matter of finding the right guy. I can see where a regular production type body shop wouldn't touch it what with liability issues, etc.

 

I just wanted to add that as far as Rockauto goes I have always found cheaper parts elsewhere and with free shipping.

 

Exactly my thinking. That's why Joe and I can comfortably agree to disagree .. notice we both preface our posts with "I would", not "You should". He knows his parts availability (I'm still jealous that it took me 7 years to track down a B body station wagon while he can't even give his two wagons away) and I know mine. That A body frame section might be minutes away from him in a bone yard .... I've spent the last 2 weeks trying to find a servicable factory gas tank skid plate for a '92 YJ ... I can't even find enough to serve as a template to make one myself.

 

Thank you. Yes it's impossible to share every detail of ones life and circumstances in a forum bulletin board thread.
And while I appreciate everyone's good advice even the advice that comes a bit more harshly than others, what I don't need is some guy with an attitude slinging unnecessary insults at me.
This thread has provided me with a wealth of information on a subject of which I know nothing. So it's been quite useful. And while opinions may vary, so does people's demeanor. When I told fun 71 "you're telling me what to do? get serious" I said it with a smile on my face and in a lighthearted mood. Unfortunately it's much easier to infer a frustrated or harsh tone in the words that someone has written as opposed to hearing the tone in the voice of someone when they're speaking.
I'm almost 50 years old and I don't let things like bulletin boards rattle my cage.

 

Yes, it's been a tough lesson to learn. But I can add it to my experience now...
And, AAA is fired. I've had it with those guys. I no longer need them.


Like where? That'd be good to know.
And thanks, once again, for consistently chiming in with useful info, and a positive attitude. That's what makes CO so great. Things like that, from people like you.

Good stuff, man.

 

To be honest Rockauto hands down was the least expensive route for my front end parts. There is a discount code that we all use and is posted regularly. I don't think Fun71 was trying to be a smart ***, and yes postings (like anything said to my wife) can be taken 2 ways. She usually can find the negative in anything sometimes.

 

Yes, wives often have a talent for that.
I know mine certainly does.

 

The trick I've found with RockAuto is that you need to carefully assess shipping costs. They stock multiple vendor lines for most parts that usually ship from different warehouses. If I have a choice, I'll assess the total cost of the part(s) plus shipping. Often, it is cheaper overall to select a more expensive part that ships from the same location as other parts I am buying on that order. I've also found that for some items (particularly heavy parts like brake rotors and drums), it's often cheaper to buy them locally at NAPA (even with local sales tax) than to pay RA's shipping costs. The downside is that you often need to make two trips to NAPA, once to order the parts and once to pick them up, however I've recently had very good experiences using NAPAOnline to pre-order my parts, so I only have to make one trip.

 

I have found even better prices sometimes on Amazon.

 

A lot of people are willing to pay for convenience. Thus the reason for a convenient store on nearly every street corner in America.

 

good to know, thank you!

 

I'll keep that in mind, and check it out.
thx

 

I use rock auto for part numbers. Most of the time I will find the parts on eBay or Amazon for less with free shipping. Also always check with Summit, they have a lot more available than listed on website. I usually call them with the part number and since they opened that distr. center in sparks NV, parts are at my front door next day.

 

Cool, I'll definitely check that out.
I'm about to order a bunch of parts for my BB engine build ...

 

Rock Auto is by some margin the #1 favourite supplier for shipping parts to the UK.
Before a part is paid for shipping is calculated and presented up front to the customer, so no nasty surprises on your credit card bill. They cannot, however, decide how much duty Her Majestys Revenue and Customs will demand.
A particular point with Rock Auto is they have no issues with overseas shipping. I missed out on a few events I wanted to see on USA vacations because the venues concerned won't accept cards with a billing address outside the USA.


Roger.

 

So here's some pics of the welding job. My guy said he's basically finished with this part of the repair... He added that as the spot being welded is upside down, he can't make it as clean as it would be right side up. Gravity created some "pooling" I think he said.

image_zps6a1d85b2.jpg

image_zps07c09b07.jpg

image_zpsa9f41d00.jpg

image_zps1ca44a7b.jpg

image_zps9591981c.jpg

image_zps034e133a.jpg

 

Little shot of his mobile repair and fab shop.

image_zpsfb758758.jpg

 

He said he MIG welded it at about 50% heat. That being 50% of what his Lincoln 216 produces. Also said he welded past the cracks and put more than nessecery, to strengthen the area. so it was stronger than new. He's confident it will not fail again. While doing the job, he saw where someone had done a poor repair before. He believes that was the culprit for the failure. He saw weld spatter inside the frame where some joker did a terrible and ineffective repair job.
I hope we got this all figured out and taken care of. Anybody have any comments about what we're looking at here?
Thx

 

He's got better penetration than the original factory weld. I think it will function fine.


Make sure you get it aligned after you put it back together. Throw a heavy coat of paint over it. Check it every couple times you drive it for the first month or so. If it shows signed of failing the paint will chip off first.

 

X2 to above clean all carbon off and paint also go to a local body shop and see if you can buy a can of wax or see if they will spray some inside the frame for you depending on how they're set up

The wax helps coat the inside and protects from rust

 

Very true. Any idiot can weld upside right (even me!), but welding underneath requires some real skill.
(Any doubts and I'll show you the sway bar mounts on my BMW, where I had to replace them because they rusted out, so long as you haven't eaten recently, and aren't otherwise easily horrified ).


I agree that those welds look good, and reasonably done.
You can grind them a bit if you'd like, to make them less conspicuous.

- Eric

 

I wouldn't ride in that car on the freeway. You guys are either looking at the pics on an Iphone or don't know what you are looking at.

That is an abortion.

 

See the sliver moons along the bead where there is no fill, I may have my terms incorrect but I believe it is undercut. The whole thing just looks terrible, dirty crusty metal all around.

The first phrase I was taught in school was clean and clamp. The first part is a failure in that regard.

 

Right on. He's said there's no carbon because he's using gas.
He's going to wire brush it, then paint it in the morning.
He's been pressing bushings all day since he finished welding.

 

Yes thanks, I'm def' getting it aligned after we're done here.

 

He ground and cleaned the areas beyond where he welded.
You're seeing / talking about the spots past that where he did not.
Respectfully, I hope you're wrong about the job being an "abortion"
There's not much room for interpretation in that !

 

It's hard to tell by a picture, but I understand about welding upside down. As long as there was enough good metal there, you should be fine.

 

Respectfully I wouldn't let anyone I care about drive that car. I am seeing a poorly repaired vehicle, the areas where the weld bead does not penetrate the base material WILL crack. Not if, but when. For your sake or an innocent person riding in the car next to you on the freeway when it comes apart, I hope it happens at slow speed again.

 

The last pic above the welder pic...look directly above the bolt hole. Along the top of that bead there are at minimum 3 areas where the weld is not complete. The entire mess looks like a hack job but these are the most obvious. There are more of these in the pics. I am looking at them on my Note3 and I can see them.

LOOK CLOSER

 

Well, to be safe:
I will take it to an expert frame repair shop to have this repair analyzed.
If it's bad, I'll have them do it over.
Better safe than sorry.
Thanks

 

By the way, if this car gets in an accident because of this repair...the entire thing is documented.

 

Don't let him touch it, no paint.