2003 - V-Brace rusted at frame rail.

[dlyons2065]

The V Brace on the passenger's side is no longer connected to the frame rail. The frame rail is part of the floor (unibody construction). I am having trouble finding a place to have it repaired. Most Auto Body places I have tried will not work on rust. One said they could replace the whole floor (see note above about floor and frame rails being one part but as this is not an insurance job (aka accident repair) work on my TBird would be delayed for insurance jobs. One person suggested I find a restoration specialist to do the repair. Looking for opinions and ideas. Also, to find out how many of you have had rust problems?? Open for suggestions for places to do repairs or ideas how to fix. Thank you.

 

[RDH]

No rust on my 03 and driven in rain. But wash it out every other week. I know a guy that drove his in the snow and every day here in Ohio, with salt on the roads my bird has never seen snow since I got it.

 

[Frankie the Fink]

My 2002 has zero rust anywhere; I'm not quite picturing what you are talking about but it sounds like ac critical support piece.
Are you talking about one of the "X" brace attachment points (see pic).
The two braces shown are bolted to the underbody and if the mount point is rusted out allowing the brace to come loose you've got a real problem. If it IS the X brace (and just the X brace), source one from a junkyard vs having a rusty one repaired. Bolt it on and torque to 46 ft-lbs at all attachment points.

 

[Bigdog1949]

The V Brace on the passenger's side is no longer connected to the frame rail. The frame rail is part of the floor (unibody construction). I am having trouble finding a place to have it repaired. Most Auto Body places I have tried will not work on rust. One said they could replace the whole floor (see note above about floor and frame rails being one part but as this is not an insurance job (aka accident repair) work on my TBird would be delayed for insurance jobs. One person suggested I find a restoration specialist to do the repair. Looking for opinions and ideas. Also, to find out how many of you have had rust problems?? Open for suggestions for places to do repairs or ideas how to fix. Thank you.

I suggest you find a welding shop , not a body shop ! most body shops are thieves !

 

[JohnS]

I would go to a welder. If you don't know a welder then you can start at an exhaust specialist. If they don't have a welder with frame experience then they will know one that they can refer you to. I would expect the job to be $400-600 here in Texas. Double that in California and who knows in the North East. If you go the restoration route it will probably be higher but you may find someone with better experience. That brace is there to compensate for the stiffness that the frame is missing due to the lack of a roof. If I were in your situation I would not skimp. I would make that brace as beefy as possible without interfering with the exhaust. Maybe add a skid plate. I would like to stiffen up the frame on mine a bit more. Good Luck.

 

[Frankie the Fink]

I guess I don't know what "V" brace we are talking about.

 

[Bond007]

I guess I don't know what "V" brace we are talking about.

I think it’s the X brace. I suppose you could also see it as two V braces.

 

[Frankie the Fink]

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I think it’s the X brace. I suppose you could also see it as two V braces.

Yeah prob so. That may be a tough fix, most welders I know don't want any liability issues for repairing rusty frame members.

 

[Retro Bob]

The X frame is under the cabin whereas the V brace connects to the frame rails near the firewall and the other side of it connects under the radiator. I had a retro with 260K miles that both sides of the V brace had rusted and were disconnected from the frame. I asked my son to remove the wheels from that car and the floor jack popped into the frame rail. The point of my story is you need to check the integrity of your frame. Use a hammer and check it just forward of the firewall and behind the front tires. I sold mine to someone that was going to use it as a display on the roof of his business

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Agree completely, any frame rust, especialy where a structural member has broken loose is a major concern, particularly in a convertible

 

[Brax]

The V Brace on the passenger's side is no longer connected to the frame rail. The frame rail is part of the floor (unibody construction). I am having trouble finding a place to have it repaired. Most Auto Body places I have tried will not work on rust. One said they could replace the whole floor (see note above about floor and frame rails being one part but as this is not an insurance job (aka accident repair) work on my TBird would be delayed for insurance jobs. One person suggested I find a restoration specialist to do the repair. Looking for opinions and ideas. Also, to find out how many of you have had rust problems?? Open for suggestions for places to do repairs or ideas how to fix. Thank you.

The front V brace are held on with 6 13mm bolts both the V brace and the X brace (one in center of car) are prone to rust due to very poor paint from ford. If it is in fact the front brace simply remove the 6 bolts and replace it. If the X brace is rusted remove it and have it blasted then repaint it which is a good idea any way. just make sure your car is level when you remove it. if the body is rusted its a major repair job.

 

[57 bluebird]

My 2002 T Bird, it also has rust holes in the rear frame over the axel. In the pictures the tires you see are the front tires. When driving on a highway it feels like the rear of the car is swaying from side to side. Unsafe to drive!