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Hi, I just went back to my 91 Firebird project, finally got all I need to swap a TPI into it, anyway, while removing the heads i noticed thereīs some huge warpage in the firewall where it meets the subframe, I looked under my brotherīs camaro to see if his was the same and it isnīt.
My car drives straight, and has no strange steering feeling BUT since I bought it it has sat lower on the front driver side, I blamed spring sag but Iīm fearing this warpage is the real reason.
I guess pics explain better what I mean, so here they are.
Should I stop investing money in this car? The car rides and drives great, save for the fact that is way too low, but it still has the original shocks and struts which I already have replacements for.
I would talk to several local body shops and discuss the concern. Talk to your car friends and find a good body shop. Show them the pictures and ideally take the car. Many times a good body shop quality alingment check will show if there is a problem and how severe it is. If there is an issue next step is to check the car on a frame machine and get an estimate for whats involved with fixing.
My white RS was totalled in 2001 by my wife at the time. The car had to have a front clip. The firewall is smooth it is however off about 1/8 of an inch ie 3mm or within seems to be Defacto GM factory production tolerance for the early 90's. My RS was repaired and my daily driver until the LS1 383 swap and full restoration this year. If you like the car - its not a waste of money.
I'm no frame/body expert by any means, but it looks (and from the description about being lower on drivers side) and sounds like there is a problem with the sub-frame mounting point(s). Whether it being bad bushings or rusted brackets could cause the sub-frame to twist upward and collapse the firewall in that area. As Arctic said, get professional advise. Only you can determine the "value" of this car to YOU. Anything can be repaired so it's value to YOU will determine if it is worth the cost and time. JMO, but I would start with the sub-frame mounts to see if that is the problem. HTH!
Re-reading your post, I notice you say this car has been this way since you purchased it. Do you still have contact with the previous owner. I ask because the previous owner may have had problems with the sub-frame mounts and since repaired them and that crease was caused at that time and gone un-noticed until now. See if you can get it on a frame jig to see exactly what you have. Another clue to sub-frame mount problems would show up in front fender to cowl and front fender to door alignment. If your gaps are straight and equal from side to side, it would refute the sub-frame alignment theory. GL!
That car was abused or hit hard to push that subframe rail back like that. Look around and I'm sure you'll find more evidence of a collision. Is the title branded as salvaged? Have you done a Carfax search or something similar to see if the car was totaled previously?
I wouldn't write it off, or spend another penny on it before shopping around for a better shell. Unless there's some reason that you're really emotionally attached to that exact car, you can probably find a better one for less than you'd pay to have that pulled back out. To be that badly damaged, I'd expect the car was totaled at some point in it's past. If it carries a title issue in it's past, the resale value is going to be tanked as a result. I'd go ahead and shop around for repair estimates, but I'd also look into a beater with nice bones. You may be able to find a 6cyl or something with a blown engine, transmission, etc that hasn't been wrecked, and transfer everything over.
Just so everybody is on the same page, this is how that area should look:
You have some major damage there and as mentioned, get that on a rack to find out more. Then you need to find out how you're going to go about fixing that area. Could have fallen off a jack or a curb or been hit at a very odd angle. I have no facts to back up this claim but it seems possible that the fire wall could buckle quite easily now. Jacking the car up anywhere around there could worsen the situation. Is the frame rail's underside or engine side dented? Are the pedal in the right spots? The studs that the pedals mount to is in that area. You might be best off using this as a bolt on only car so if you arrive at the point in your life where you can buy or build a nice camaro you can easily swap everything over.
I Just don't like the way that looks. No matter how many times I flick thru the pics,... I can't find a good way to describe what I see. I'm guessing at some point the front end of this car was driven off a wall at speed or something. Just can't think of any other way for 'forces' to bent that body in that way. ( You'd be amazed what a good alignment can "hide" . )
Runner, Driver, Beater, Daily Driver,.......... Sure; keep it the music loud and the tires spinnin' !
Resto-Mod Cruise Night Ride, Garage Queen, 'Show' car, ....... Nope.
I might be seeing things, but I keep thinking I see evidence of brazing... I suspect something hit the front end hard enough to shove the subframe and column rearward. I saw something similar years ago when a buddy drove his Trans Am over a tall curb at rather high speeds hard enough to shove the lower control arm back nearly 3 inches.
11-20-2016, 09:18 PM
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