Frame Bolts

[Guest]

My car is officially sold. BUT....<P>I need to have 4 new frame bolts put in. New holes have to be drilled. I have to do this in order for the car to pass the safety check necessary for all cars in Manitoba. <P>This is amazingly expensive. $600 Canadian Dollars. How common is it for frame bolts to rust out? Why did this happen? Just rust? I'm in shock right now, because suddenly my selling price has dropped by $600.

[Guest]

I replaced mine, myself. It was a big job and the parts were expensive. I bought 6 of the assemblies because the big retainer plates were almost completly rusted away. I had to use a torch to cut the bolts loose and work between the body and the subframe. Funny, since I've been trying to sell my Reatta, no one gives a hoot about that stuff that I worked so hard on.

[Guest]

Thanks for the input!<P>I've been told 4 bolts have broken off & its completely rusted. Great.<P>I don't even drive the car in winter! I hardly drive the car at all. Wonder how long they've been like this.

[Guest]

It's weird. The sub frame mount bolts don't really do much as the weight of the car sits on top of the rubber. If the bolts or washers are gone you could loose the entire engine and drive train if you went air born over something. I don't know about you but I don't drive my Reatta that way. It's still a good idea to keep that stuff in tact, especially if one can get the seller (yourself) to pay for it. Bummer.

[padgett]

a) repairs rarely add anything to the value of a car (though may be required to be salable at all).<P> Rust is generally a product of salt exposure, road salt has been known to completely eat away the floorboards in less than 10 years. Sea coasts generally cause upper body rust from spray/dew.<P>c) Was something I considered in deciding to move to Orlando - is 50 miles to the nearest coast (Titusville) and things do not rust here.<P>d) after wife spent a January in Indiana several years ago, one of the tasks I performed when replacing the engine (dropped center cam bearings) was to scrub/sand/rustoleum quite a few surfaces on the underbody that showed any sign of corrosion (I know, you Canadians are laughing...). Did the same thing to the underbody of my Reatta soon after bringing home. We tend to keep things way past the sell-by date.<p>[ 05-30-2002: Message edited by: padgett ]

[Barney Eaton]

Not familiar with Canadian requirements. Bolts in question could be the engine cradle mounting bolts.<P>The process would be... first attempt to remove the bolts. If they break, then they would need to be drilled out and replaced.<P>Some of the expense could be the cradle would be in the way when you need to drill. <BR>I suspect the innovative shops have a way of sliding it to the side so this can be done.<P>Unless there is some serious problem, $600 seems way over priced. <P>That would be 10 hours of work at $60 per hour. I would think 4-6 hours would be more realistic, if all four bolts break.<P>Get a second estimate.