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Old 03-09-2014, 03:04 PM   #1
keasbey
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Default Rear shock tower?

Hey guys, while changing my fuel filler neck yesterday I noticed a hole in the shock tower (~2"x4").. the rest of the car is rustless so I think I'd try to replace both rear shock towers..

But I'm wondering how to proceed and what would be the easiest to do it.. Go to a pick and pull and grab some shock towers from a donor car, or make some with tubing and sheetmetal?

Anybody ever done it or have suggestions?
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Old 03-10-2014, 08:22 PM   #2
A-man07
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Can a patch be welded in?
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Old 03-10-2014, 08:41 PM   #3
norexyet
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Can you get some pictures? Seems like a patch might work.
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Old 03-11-2014, 01:42 PM   #4
keasbey
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I don't have a picture on hand.. but I think I figured it out.. I'll have to cut the inside part of the shock tower to access the hole, remove all the rust, weld a patch and reweld another patch to close the hole I did...

It's gonna be a fun project thats for sure...
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Old 03-11-2014, 03:59 PM   #5
PARANOID56
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Old 03-12-2014, 02:29 AM   #6
keasbey
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PARANOID56 View Post
not at all..

I used my "paint" talents to explain it to you..

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps82242ba0.jpg

Don't know if its clear enough..
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Old 03-12-2014, 01:35 PM   #7
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there is many layers to the rear shock towers. it would be a ton of work to get it fixed with new towers. You could easily patch it but it will eventually return. I drove my car around with that kind of damage for a number of years before I decided to scrap the car and get a new one. Mine had random spots of rust all over the place though and wasn't worth saving.

The rust holes i had were also quite a bit bigger than that.

You're the first person i've seen that has this issue besides myself. I think it is more common than most people realize but being that it is hard to see nobody knows about it.
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Old 03-13-2014, 01:59 AM   #8
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it's not in a visible place, I never looked there before because it is so unusual to see rust there.. I noticed it because of the paint was peeling.. at the moment I put my hand on it, It went threw.... I'll see what I can do with it.
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Old 03-13-2014, 02:08 AM   #9
Zefy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by keasbey View Post
it's not in a visible place, I never looked there before because it is so unusual to see rust there.. I noticed it because of the paint was peeling.. at the moment I put my hand on it, It went threw.... I'll see what I can do with it.
ya this was my solution... haha

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Old 03-13-2014, 11:14 AM   #10
69subaru360
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I would check it real close. Rusted rear strut towers are common here and anywhere there is a lot of road salt. I've seen multiple subarus where the whole strut tower separated from the body. A few were wagons and the whole tower with strut attached were just floating in the hatch area.
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Old 03-14-2014, 12:08 AM   #11
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I would patch it and reinforce the rear strut towers like this


Last edited by Serkan; 03-22-2014 at 12:47 PM.
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Old 03-15-2014, 12:56 AM   #12
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I like the idea!
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Old 04-20-2014, 08:38 PM   #13
keasbey
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removed the plastic trims and panels in the back... and it is worst than I thought...
Might need to cut a big portion of the shock tower and reweld a plate... while I'm at it... and do a little reinforcment.. hehe
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Old 04-20-2014, 09:21 PM   #14
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Got the pics..

pass side:
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps4072592d.jpg

The holes I was talking about:
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps9440a2da.jpg

and the driver side...
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps377bf7b9.jpg

It looks worst than what it is.. I didn't clean the mess... but thats what it is.. better take care of it right now..
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Old 04-21-2014, 02:45 PM   #15
PARANOID56
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wow, thats going to be fun to fix. make sure to post pics when you are fixing it
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Old 04-21-2014, 07:04 PM   #16
69subaru360
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Honestly I would scrap that car. That is bad and in a critical area. It's not like it's a little fender rot.

Once you've seen these things blow a strut and tower into the interior you get real leery of rust that bad.
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:38 PM   #17
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As sir Charles Barkley would say. That's turrible. I've done a bunch of various rust repair. If someone was paying me to fix it but if it was my own no thanks. That's going to be a lot of work.
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Old 04-22-2014, 12:57 AM   #18
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I'll try to fix it... worst case scenario.. I scrap it.. I'll take pics indeed
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Old 04-22-2014, 12:05 PM   #19
PARANOID56
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looking at it, the fix shouldn't be too hard, just time consuming. i have been doing a lot of rust repair on a old 71 chevy vega and you just take one panel at a time. make sure to get some weld through primer and some sheet metal tools and it will make it easier.
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Old 04-27-2014, 09:30 PM   #20
Phoriver
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I'm in the same situation with an SF Forester I just bought a couple days ago. I gutted the interior to replace the filthy carpet and carpeted trunk parts.



The black thing is the gas filler. The hole leads outside and the rust in the previous pic is just above it but out of view.



I have no welding experience but plan to get a cheap MIG welder tomorrow. I measured the steel to be 22ga which I hear might be difficult to weld.

Have you made any progress?

Quote:
Originally Posted by PARANOID56 View Post
looking at it, the fix shouldn't be too hard, just time consuming. i have been doing a lot of rust repair on a old 71 chevy vega and you just take one panel at a time. make sure to get some weld through primer and some sheet metal tools and it will make it easier.
Would using thicker steel make for an easier time welding? Does 22ga sound right? maybe I got a bad reading for the digital caliper.
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Old 04-28-2014, 11:28 AM   #21
PARANOID56
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welding sheetmetal is going to be tough with a cheap welder and with no experience. welding 22ga sucks too welding sheet to thicker sheet is easier as you can put more heat into the thicker stuff, but still, its going to be a bitch.
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Old 04-28-2014, 12:18 PM   #22
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i would consult a professional...maybe prep it yourself and maybe have the pro give you help/guidance....weld it for you
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Old 05-05-2014, 01:39 AM   #23
keasbey
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I redid mine, I'll post pics tomorrow morning..
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Old 05-05-2014, 01:58 PM   #24
keasbey
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okay so, I didn't take a lot of picture cause I was in a hurry to put it back together.. but i cutted all the rotted metal, grind the rest that had only light rust on it, afterward I used a mig welder with gas, to "spotweld" it, (i used 22ga sheetmetal) wen everything cooled down I removed the mess it created(dust etc etc) Used JBweld to cover the spots I didn't spotweld. let it dry..

And used a bodypanel sealant over everything to prevent rust. And sprayed gravelguard over both shocktowers so humidity stays away (at least from the inside)

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps392abcaa.jpg
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