Hi All,

In preparation for a body off and bushing replacement and frame media blast, I was doing a frame inspection of my 71 Cutlass S. I noticed what appeared to be a "repaired crack" in the frame on the drivers side, about 8-10" where the frame bends up to the rear of the car. Upon further inspection there's also another weld on the passenger side in the same place. It made me feel better that I saw this on both sides, but I wanted to validate that this is a normal weld, sloppy weld, or a repair. The car has been in a few accidents in the past, not a total, and yes I know I need to get the frame squared up to make sure but I wanted to validate the below photos with two simple questions;

1. Is this normal or should I be concerned?
2. Prior to painting the frame should these welds be reinforced or just leave them as is?

Drivers side



Drivers side close up



Passenger side



Passenger side close up

 

It's normal. Olds used two sources for frames, A. O. Smith and Pontiac. If I remember, the Pontiac-sourced frames had the extra welds.

 

Thanks Joe.