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MG MGA - rust hole in frame

Hi All
While crawling around under my car the other day doing an oil change I noticed a hole in the frame. It's about one inch (2.5cm) or so in diamater and is located on the inside edge of the frame just back of the front crossmember. Is this something that needs immediate attention before I drive the car too much more.

Kris
Kris Sorensen

Kris, it doesn't sound good. Certainly needs to be covered so that additional moisture doesn't get inside the rail to cause further corrosion. But it does indicate that serious corrosion is already taking place and your frame could already be seriously weakened. A good examination is certainly in order at the earliest time possible. You might try taking a body hammer and gently tapping along the frame checking for weak spots. You might chip the paint, but that could be touched up fairly easily. If you find any thin spots or the hammer penetrates the rail you need to get the frame repaired as soon as possible.
Bill Young

I agree with Bill, also rust in that section is not normally the first to show up. Run an ice pick down between the floor boards and the frame rails from inside the car to check for rust in the side rails which is very common, the frame rail rusts thru from moisture trapped in the wood.
John H

I agree that rust in this area is unusual. It's usually protected by the factory installed, B-series, rust-proofing system. Has the inner area behind the sills been previously repaired/plated? This is where they usually go first and has maybe already been done.

Just to confirm, you are refering to the crossmember to which the front suspension and not the round, tubular crossmember aft of the engine back plate?

Whichever it is, I'd agree with the others and take steps to prevent the further ingress of water and investigate further.

TTFN, Eh?



Derek Nicholson

Hi Kris. I have to agree with the others that this is an unusual place for a rust hole to be showing on an MGA frame. Perhaps this is just a freak thing, with the rust damage being localized to a small area, in which case it would probably not be a major concern. On the othr hand, if the chassis has extensive rust, it could seriously weaken it. The good news is that the frame is made of thick 16 guage steel. I think you need to carefully check your frame EVERYWHERE for weak spots. If rust is localized in one or two places then repairs can likely be done fairly easily. If rust is really extensive, and extends into hidden areas, you might need to remove the body to do proper repairs. While checking the frame, you might also want to check your inner sills for rust. Often if the frame is rusty, the inner sills and door pillars are too. Best of Luck, Glenn
Glenn

Derek
The rust hole is about 6in in front of the door and about 2in behind a crossmember. hope this helps. When I get back from my trip I will take it to a friend who is at Watkins Glen this week and have him take a good look.
Thanks
Kris
Kris Sorensen

This thread was discussed between 07/09/2006 and 09/09/2006

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