legacycentral bbs

Well as many of you may know my "A" pillar was crushed when I found my car. I have also gone on a rant in some previous post about no one willing to fix it. I have a "new" door and fender already painted waiting to go on but I need to pull out the pillar so the new door will line up correctly. Now I dont have access to a frame straighter but I do have access to my works' 8ton crane and other numerous lifting/pulling devices. I can figure out how to attatch to the pulling point but I havent really found a good way to anchor the car down. My first attempt was putting the car between the two cemented steel poles that guard the sides of the overhead door at work. I had anchored the right side of the car at the lower A arm of the front suspension. It held pretty well but the more I pulled the more I was concerned that I was going to tear the right front suspesion right off the car. I really need something to hold the whole car back. We also have a fork lift, maybe I could use that somehow. I'm basically out of ideas at this point. Any suggestions would be good.

some pics:

OK. A few questions:

How is the front windshield glass? You might want to remove it first.

Which direction is the pillar "modified"? How far is it off?
Do you have the ability to remove both bumpers? Do you have something to attach the frame rails at the bumper ends to?
These few questions should determine the physics angles/forces needed to solve the problem.

I guess better pictures of the area you wish to modify would make it easier to see what you are doing.

I would guess that you are tweaking the lower rear arch area behind the wheel well. This is not an easy area to modify. Yes, you will be tweaking the suspension mount areas because thos are above and around where you are at. You might put the door on if you can and measure how much you are off first, then work out the angles and how far you need to go.

here's my take:

if a professional collision repair shop with a precision frame straightener will not fix it for you, it's time to junk it.

99% of completing any automotive work is having the right tool.

Could you get a replacement panel and replace it? The place around here that does awesome collision work (but also refused to do my car) will replace the panels by drilling out the factory spot welds and installing the new panel in its place. That way you retain factory alignment settings (provided the panel was installed properly and original fatigue strength.

Steve

90LegAWD wrote:here's my take:

if a professional collision repair shop with a precision frame straightener will not fix it for you, it's time to junk it.

99% of completing any automotive work is having the right tool.

HOW DARE YOU lol

I could never do such a thing. I agree that you need the right tool to do the job but I think I could get it close enough to be respectable. I'm actually surprised to hear such a response from someone on here. This site is all about making do with what we have man, its the american way.

dscoobydoo
The glass is perfect, I does not look like the whole A pillar was pushed in, it looks like only the bottom part was pushed in and the whole thing bent in a pretty straight line. It is off a good 5 to 6 inches, so the top should remain in its place and the bottom should come out 5 or 6 inches. At the same time the area below the door needs to come out also. you can see on the last pic that looking from the top of the car down starting at the back edge of the front door it curves in as it moves towards the front of the door. if I pull from the bottom of the a pillar it should pull out both bends.

evolutionmovement
if all else fails I'll probably go my local subaru grave yard and have a guy cut that whole piece out and I will remove mine and weld in the new piece. I dont want to really do that though.

Somebody open the door while backing near a snowbank?

Steve

magicmike wrote:It is off a good 5 to 6 inches, so the top should remain in its place and the bottom should come out 5 or 6 inches.

holy shit man, it's no wonder no-one would touch it. 5-6inches is WAYYY off. maybe if it was an inch or two, but FIVE... DAMN.

i think you need to be realistic here. even if you get it close to where it should be, the strength of that area has been greatly comprimised

i'm all about DIY and working with what you have, but i'm also a realist. when you can pick up a running AWD wagon with straight body for under $2k i don't see any point in attempting to repair that one.

hey mike, I really think your car and my car really want to be one car. I've got a totally rust-free body, the same color and wagon too. but NA 5sp mechanicals

the only panel I have with a significant dent is the driver's door.

I think you need to have that professionally pulled, find someone to do just that and you do the rest. The guys at Forbes auto body in Woonsocket are good and my boss is in tight with them. maybe I can call over there on Monday.

If you ever consider giving up I want your car.

well, with about 7 grand invested so far I'm going to stick with this car until it gets totalled. I have been driving it more than my infiniti if you can believe it. I might be interested in your car if it dies professor. I dont think it will be much work to pull my busted up a pillar, like I said I just need to find a way to anchor the car down. I wasn't really asking if it was possible or not, or even worth it or not for that matter.

You're the only one that can determine if it's worth it. I've spent way too much keeping my car by anyone else's standard, but I don't regret it at all. I think what people spend to save old people, pets, and chronically sick kids is rediculous, but to them all it's worth it.

Good luck and there's no reason that isn't salvageable.

Steve

Ok, before you go bending away, think about this:

One you bend the pillar 5-6 inches in, you have done a very good job of weakening that section of the car.

If no body shop will touch it, it is because they either: could not bring it back to the same strength as factory, or there is not a way to bend out that section.

I have a tonneau cover on my truck. It has aluminum runners to make the vinyl taught. One of them bent, and in doing so, changed the shape and angle of the metal. Now, I could try to bend it back, but being a hollow piece, I would run a heavy risk of breaking it, or adding more bends in - thereby weaking it more.

Your lower pillar/door frame section is just like my runner. You could bend it back, but you would have to know exactly where the flex occurred in the first place, and you would have to bend it there without causing any more damage to the surrouding area.

The only way I have been able to do bends like that is by superheating the metal so it is more pliable to will work with you on returning to shape. Somehow I don't see you taking a torch to that area due to what is there.

Go to three body shops. see what they say. Then accept the facts.

Sadly, sometimes you have to accept how it is and just go with it.

I still say best bet is to replace the section.

Steve

well I went to 4 body shops already, I'm telling you, they did not want to get involved because they thought the car was a piece of shit. I know its hard to think of it but people look at a 94 subaru like they would a 85 escort. its just a fact. I will get this straight myself. I'll figure it out.

I don't understand why not? If you're willing to spend the money, then why do they give a rat's ass what car it is?

Are you sure they dont want to touch it because of liability?

thats a possiblility...

I get the same attitude about my car from places. Then I work on the boss's E-type at work (a car that people consider a classic) and look at that as a real piece of shit. Why is a flimsy, cramped, difficult to work on ugly phalus on wheels valued while an easily serviced, reliable, comfortable, and infinitely more practical car (that doesn't look like a penis) is considered shit? I guess that goes for any older Japanese car outside a Toyota 2000GT (a much better looking car than the Jag despite the blurry-eyed similarity in photos).

Steve

evolutionmovement wrote:You're the only one that can determine if it's worth it. ... I think what people spend to save old people, pets, and chronically sick kids is rediculous, but to them all it's worth it...

Steve

verry true

This post has risen from the dead!!!!!!