The 87 GTA I am working on had some hackjob repairs by the PO including cutting out a HUGE area to replace the pump instead of dropping the tank

I am not sure if I am going to keep this car yet and redo it but I would like to know if anyone has experience in fixing the brace that the PO cut during his "repair"


Does anyone have any experience with this and how would I get back any lost structural integrity of the body?

Thanks in advance

 

Wow, that's quite a hack job. Dangerous too with the questionable wiring and the tank essentially being inside the car now. That said it looks like the brace is mostly intact with the spot welds drilled out. To fix it right would mean removing the tank and welding a new plate to the brace. Quite a job if you're not able to do the welding yourself. In the meantime I'd avoid smoking in the car...

 

Geez, why did they cut the hole so big? I don't mind the access door method but you only need to cut a hole maybe a third of that size. I'm sorry you have to deal with that.

 

Yea idk why they cut such a large hole either. The brace is actually cut so would i need to use another brace when I weld in a new panel?

 

THATS MESSED UP.

 

If you keep the car, weld it up as it is your safety at stake. I checked this on last car before buying....it is a deal breaker for me if it is cut.

 

I've seen that a few times. I just wonder if those are done by DIYers or some hack shop that doesn't even tell the car owner.