Hi guys,

It's not a thread I'm really proud of but well... I need your help on this one.

I smashed my FD on the track. Yes another newb on the track... I know...
Now I'm in the process of repairing it, obviously on my own. The driver's front frame rail is kinked pretty bad around the wheels. I'd like to know the proper way to repair it.

As I don't think that unbending the frame rail will be enough, I was planning to replace the whole frame rail. But here in Canada, regulations permit to cut the frame rail up to the wheels and weld another good piece of frame rail. Which one is the proper way to repair a frame rail?

My plan is to document the whole repair process so if someday I sell the car potential buyers will be aware of the accident.

I'm not going to cut any corner on this.
turbojeff already gave me precious help as he already repaired a few FDs before. His input is important to me but I'd like more opinions.

So guys what is the proper way to repair a kinked front frame rail? Replace or repair (cut & weld).

<span style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">I'm looking for inputs from people that know what they are talking about, people that do this for living.</span>

Thanks.

 

You probably need to get some pics up so we can see how bad it is.

You'll want to find a good body shop to work with, I'm assuming you're not going to be doing the cutting and welding yourself. There are a lot of things you can do to minimize labor costs, like stripping the engine bay to make room to work.

A good body shop will put the car on an alignment table and get everything dead level and accurate. Some of it can sometimes be pulled and pushed back into place, some needs new metal. It depends on the damage.

I would talk to a number of body shops in town, bring lots of pictures with you, get their input and how they would tackle the problem. Find a shop that does good work and that you're comfortable with. Also, find out how much you can do yourself to save them time and labor.

Dale

 

I grew up working in a family-owned collision shop in high school and college. I still have a lot of the tools and now have a small personal workshop of my own away from the house. I can and still do my own minor collision and sheet metal repair. But if it's damaged at or behind the suspension it's almost certainly NOT something I'd attempt. I recommend a trusted shop.

 

Oh! I forgot to mention that I won't be doing the body works. I do everything on my car but not body work.

Also I already stripped the whole engine bay and the front clip.

 

Pics would be a super help .

If you plan on straightening the frame without body parts, this will be kinda tricky. You need to gather all of you body parts and use them to help gauge how much more to pull, etc. Hitting a frame rail on the fd certainly means you have bent the rad support, which causes the two ends of the rad support (Where the headlights are assembled) to bend inwards.

I've done a few FD frame rails and even an FD rail just a month ago and know the difficulties and the easy parts as well. You need to get all the body parts and continuously check and recheck over and over. Good luck and I hope everything goes well!

 

Last time I checked with Mazda the front frame rails were the only body parts NOT available for the FD...

I would let a bodyshop that has lots of experience with this give it a try. Maybe a body shop near a track where this kind of damage is fairly common.

Worst case scenario you will want to add some reinforcement to the repair once it is done. You can take the opportunity to give the FD a cage with bars through the firewall to the front suspension.

That way you are all set back on the track if something worse happens!
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Another alternative is to find a rear-ended or T-boned FD and buy that and have the shop take the front clip off on the factory spot welds and put a other one on.

This will probably cost too much in labor if you have to pay someone to do it- its best as a DIY project because it is so time intensive.
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Since you are in Canada I would probably just pick up another cheap FD and swap my good stuff over. You can probably find a 'roller' for 5k right? Repairing my FD with light front end damage was $10K...

Next time I will probably take a trip to Canada!

 

Thanks guys.

I already bought a jdm front clip. It's stripped. Frame rails seems to be the same and P/N are the same. So I have all body parts for the repair. I just don't which way is the good way? Cut or replace?

LHD are pretty hard to find in Canada. RHD are much easier to find but I don't want a RHD.

I attached a pic of the ugliest part. I'll try to get more from the other side.

 

Do not saw anything!

Get a spot weld removing drill bit and take out the factory spot welds.

Practice on the bent car first, you can practice on any of the sheet metal first and then do the box frame extensions to floor pan once you have the knack for it.

If you cut with a saw and try to weld together you will have an unsafe weak end product.

 

So did it came out well?

Honestly I don't plan to do the body works. I do everything on my car but I'd rather let a profesionnal do the work. What is the box frame extensions?

 

What is the box frame extensions?

Everything structural in front of the firewall and what everything non structural in front of the firewall mounts to.

 

Ok so basically the wheel aprons and rails toward the front end of the car.

In my case you would replace the whole frame rail?

 

just pull it out, we've done this at the track before....

the latest one, Justin crashed in turn 6, and he was crying so much we told him to change his diaper and just pull the thing straight. he did, and then beat us in TTE.

this is the first one we did, car set its fastest lap like this

 

If you know your FD is going to be heading back to the track after all this ^^

 

Once repaired I don't think the FD will be going back to the track. If it happens, it won't be on a rainy day on a shitty maintained track like when I got this accident.

 

forgot this picture...

the point is, is that it can be pulled out and the car will be fine. the honda did its best lap time AFTER the wreck, and the miata, won the TTE western states race

 

That is definitely going to have to go on a frame machine to pull it, the one good thing is that you already removed everything so that will save you a lot on the labor cost.

 

OP, If you need a front end, I have front end with mint rails, I bought it for the front bar for a customer and still have the entire thing in case if I planted my fd

I'm in Toronto but I am sure you have access to front ends being close to Montreal importers

 

Like mentioned, I already have a front clip. It's all stripped. I'll put stuff for sale as soon as I know what I have to keep.

Thanks anyway.