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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/15/2021 in all areas

  1. Cutlass350

    Cracked subframe

    That front subframe is worthless. It won't weld. It'll just fall apart somewhere else. As people said, replacing the front subframe isn't "too bad". I've hand-rebuilt 3 rear subframes on my GM cars over the years. With the front subframe, 1) Make sure you can get the rubber bushings. They are hard/impossible to get for some years/models. 2) Get new bolts. It's a good idea to get new nuts, if you don't want to risk an additional 1-3 weeks of down time. 3) Removing the old bolts may be easy (people in So-Calf often say "WTF are you talking about that a frame/body bolt is hard to remove"). Most of the times, it's very hard and requires the correct use of heat. If you use heat, cut off the old bushings first (hence, why you need/want new bushings :)). The smoke from burning bushing is very toxic. Or "impossible". And, I do mean impossible as per the correct dictionary definition. The bolts and nuts can become fused(/one) through rust and electrolysis. In those cases, the bolts get snapped, the old nuts removed, and new nuts(welded in) and bolts get used. 4) Finding a local rust-free front subframe may be very very hard, depending where you live. For the rear sub-axle assembly on my Olds Achieva, I spent 9 months looking at every place withing a 2+ hour drive. I strongly suggest that you check it out in person first. Although, GM front subframes aren't as susceptible to rust. Still, of the car/subframe sat for a long time in a wet area (mud, grass, snow, etc), then they can rust very quickly. Btw, tranny shops in New England deal with the above issues every week. It may add ~~1/2hour of time overall. It's like dealing with exhausts here in New England. The pros have the experience and the tools, and stuff like this is often quickly dealt with. For the DYIer, it can be many hours/days, and a lot of money. For example, I now have a Mini-Ductor Venom Portable Induction Heater to help me remove rusted bolts/nuts. What used to take me hours/days/weeks/forever, it now less than a few minutes. Btw, I agree that the cost/effort to replace the front subframe is well worth it for a half decent car. Good Luck!
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