damaged chassis leg.

byrnemx

hi,
after a collision in my seat leon one of the front chassis legs was badly bent, i was wandering how i would go about repairing it? can i just try straighten it with a sledge hammer i wander or would that be dangerous?
it is welded on, and doesn't just bolt off.
if i could solve this then i could get on with the other body repairs.
thanks.

Gary ITR

Chassis legs should be straightened on a jig or not at all. If it's really badly bent the car should be scrapped

byrnemx

oh crap. but are they not just repairable impact absorbers?

mickdw

I thought a new leg structure could be welded on?

alo1587

mickdw wrote: »

I thought a new leg structure could be welded on?

It can, but its not a job for the diy home mechanic! Car needs to be put on an alignment bench in a body shop and pulled back to shape using a measurement system.Unless its the very front tip of the chassis leg where you might get away with a sledge..

byrnemx

no the bend is well down the leg. is it worth getting it looked at by a pro or will i haul it to a dismantaler and get a few quid for it? everthing on the car is fine except the chassis leg and the radiator.

Volvoboy

NO! You cant be whacking the legs around with a sledge hammer on those leons the front panel bolts onto the legs and then the reinforcement bar.

As you said its a fair bit back chances are that the furthest most part of the leg (where it's spot welded to the fire wall) is kinked. Even if you do get it in such a way that you can build the front of it back up (doubt full as they are a whore to put a front on) the car wont be safe to drive and WILL fail the Nct.

I'm not even going to get into what would happen if you crashed it again, the consequences would be fatal.

I'm an panel beater who is out of his time, i've replaced a fair few of them and they arent for the amatuer.

byrnemx

Volvoboy wrote: »

NO! You cant be whacking the legs around with a sledge hammer on those leons the front panel bolts onto the legs and then the reinforcement bar.

As you said its a fair bit back chances are that the furthest most part of the leg (where it's spot welded to the fire wall) is kinked. Even if you do get it in such a way that you can build the front of it back up (doubt full as they are a whore to put a front on) the car wont be safe to drive and WILL fail the Nct.

I'm not even going to get into what would happen if you crashed it again, the consequences would be fatal.

I'm an panel beater who is out of his time, i've replaced a fair few of them and they arent for the amatuer.

could you be able to put a price on it for me? just the leg repair.

Volvoboy

Sorry i dont work as a panel beater anymore, even if i did i wouldnt touch it.

Either way your not looking at change of €1K for a ''dikie up job'' or €2.5K for a professional job. The leg should not be repaired! Replacement is the only way and if it is as bad as your making out it would easaly be a engine out job.

Type 17

alo1587 wrote: »

It can, but its not a job for the diy home mechanic! Car needs to be put on an alignment bench in a body shop and pulled back to shape using a measurement system.Unless its the very front tip of the chassis leg where you might get away with a sledge..

+1

If you straighten it yourself and it is not aligned correctly (almost certain to be mis-aligned without using a proper jig), the steering geometry will be impossible to get right, and the car will handle badly/wear tyres out prematurely.

Get the leg straightened professionally (even if you do the other work yourself). If the professional says that the leg is to bent to straighten successfully, get a new one welded on (if financially viable*) - if the new leg is correctly aligned, the car will be fine.

*Anything can be fixed if it's financially viable (or you like the car enough) - I saw a 2 year-old Porsche 928 being repaired in Dublin in the early 90's - both chassis legs and every body part/panel in front of the wipers were replaced. It was inspected and photographed by the insurance company at each stage, and all genuine Porsche parts were used. Big job, but the car was perfect with all shut-lines as per the factory, and all parts painted and sealed correctly.

byrnemx

ok, i'll hav to hav a think about it whether it is worth it or not.
Thanks for the imput!
cheers.