Frame rails

[Sandeagle]

Has anyone replaced both front frame rails? Some monkey filled my passenger side with expansion foam cut the foam flat and painted it black. I have no idea how bad the rot is because I can't see it. The body is 95% mint,the interior is mint,new brake and fuel lines,new e-brake cable,2150 carb. She purrs and only has 60,000. Miles on her. Garaged her whole life,the vinel top is mint. She is worth saving. Only a little rot in the trunk from wheel well to floor pan but those frame rails are scary. I'd love to pull the motor and every thing else off the nose and clean and paint everything. Don't care if it costs $2000.00 by the end of it all because she will last my 20 years.arrrgh!!!

[eaglefreek]

There is at least one member who has experience doing that, but unfortunately he has disappeared.

[Sandeagle]

Thank you, at least now I know it can be done. What  it will cost me is the question now.

[Amc1320]

I had to do extensive repair to one of my frame rails, it was really bad and actually making the car track wrong down the road. Had wobble and wheel hop.

After removing the engine to get to everything it was really just a matter of adding new steel and a lot of welding. Its for sure much stronger than it was in 1984 as we used some pretty thick stuff to make the repairs

Not sure of cost to have someone else do it. We did most of the work ourselves except for some of the welding and fabrication, all that cost me was a steak dinner for the welder dude

There is a lot of pics of the work on here, its in the Project Cars section

Bottom line is it can be done, cant believe they used spray foam.... that's dishonest and unsafe

[amcfool1]

hi, I just had the left front (drivers side) frame rail repaired on my 84 sedan. I had a good local welder/fabricator do it. Cost me $750. Motor, and whole front suspension was out of the car when he did it. Finding this bad rail was almost an accident. While replacing motor, noticed rust under the upper control arm, not that much really, but it was rusted through, started investigating, and it kept getting worse and worse, rusting from the INSIDE, looked good on outside. This is a bad spot on Eagles (or any small body AMCs). Under the upper control arm is a little "ledge" with sides, a perfect spot for water/crud to accumulate with nowhere to drain.The repair is not a simple matter. The "frame" rail is not simply a piece of square section steel, its actually 2 or 3 layers of sheet metal wrapped around each other. When water gets between the layers, rust starts, and never sleeps. good luck, gz