Straightening rear control arm mount..(pics)
07-15-2014, 06:11 PM
#1
Straightening rear control arm mount..(pics) Car is a 2002 SS M6 with a built 403. Crashed the car into a low rock wall at about 20 in the snow. Spun around and caught the wheel on the rear passenger side, the car was almost parallel to the wall so it sent the rear lower control arm some what forward but more so down and the floor in front of it up. Broke every spoke on the oem ss rim and split the rotor. The wheel hoop pushed the inner wheel house left and wrinkled the tunnel. I got the major stuff somewhat flattened out buy a auto body shop and supposedly he pulled it straight but all the pounding on the floor thinned it out and it cracked and was a little rusty to begin with. I'm cutting that out and making a piece to go in. I can get a donor floor and cut all the way up to the center of the tunnel, but the control arm mount is tripled in sections. I've heard of this area called a power box. Auto body shops cut this area out..I guess? Not sure where not to cut.
Thank,
John
You can see how its pulled down maybe 1/2-3/4".
This is the good driver side..much sharper nice tight bends.
Floor
Tunnle
Thank,
John
You can see how its pulled down maybe 1/2-3/4".
This is the good driver side..much sharper nice tight bends.
Floor
Tunnle
07-18-2014, 07:35 PM
#4
be careful what you cut and how you fabricate it back in.
it's a unibody- meaning the body is a structural component and is carrying the force applied from the rear axle transmitted through the control arms.
going from your pics, it looks like the body is crumpled so it's a major weak point now.
my recommendation fwiw is straighten it as best as possible without cutting, then put in a good set of welded in subframe connectors and also weld on extra steel at that point where the body is weak/rusted/bent and the LCA mount. if you can get it all aligned then great, otherwise plan on using adjustable lower control arms and adjustable panhard bar so you can get a 4 wheel alignment done and have the rear axle thrust axis set straight forward 0°.
or do your subframe install hoping you got it all aligned, then have the alignment checked, if it's off then buy adj. LCA/PHB and center it.
it's a unibody- meaning the body is a structural component and is carrying the force applied from the rear axle transmitted through the control arms.
going from your pics, it looks like the body is crumpled so it's a major weak point now.
my recommendation fwiw is straighten it as best as possible without cutting, then put in a good set of welded in subframe connectors and also weld on extra steel at that point where the body is weak/rusted/bent and the LCA mount. if you can get it all aligned then great, otherwise plan on using adjustable lower control arms and adjustable panhard bar so you can get a 4 wheel alignment done and have the rear axle thrust axis set straight forward 0°.
or do your subframe install hoping you got it all aligned, then have the alignment checked, if it's off then buy adj. LCA/PHB and center it.