Body Frame main clips repair

How-to's and repair secrets for your 4WD can be found here. Have a question? Ask it in here!
Post Reply
User avatar
Dumindu
Top Notch Member
Posts: 227
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:34 pm
My tercel:: 1987 Toyota tercle 4wd DX Wagon 1452CC
Location: Sri Lanka
Contact:

Body Frame main clips repair

Post by Dumindu »

My car is a Toyota Tercel 1987 DX Wagon.

Body frame clips behind the left front wheel is damaged by some cause.

It is made of gauge 18 sheet.

What happens if I add a clip of gauge 12 (with more strength) like that is infront of the rear wheel which bears the lower arm?

Main body frame is divided in to 2 at the middle (by the manufacturer). The place where two body floor sheets are joining is not covered by the body frame. It seems to cause a chassis bottoming with the age. It also seems risky.

What happens if join the rear and front frame main clips pair by adding a new custom made clip for safety?
User avatar
Petros
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Body Frame main clips repair

Post by Petros »

anything you can do to strengthen and stiffen the chassis is desirable. As these cars age the spot welds weaken and the body gets more flexible, keep driving it long enough and it will noticeably sag and flex.

Usually how this is done is to strip paint and undercoat from all of the critical structural joints and than stitch weld all of the seams. and where there are known weak points you will add double metal layers, or sections of pipe to square tube. careful not to over do it, it will add a lot of weight, so you want to add any strength strategically where it will do the most good.

You might search the internet to see if you can find pictures on how professional racing teams prepare production based race car chassis. You will not find a Tercel, but you will get the idea from a similar sized car.

good luck.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
User avatar
Dumindu
Top Notch Member
Posts: 227
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:34 pm
My tercel:: 1987 Toyota tercle 4wd DX Wagon 1452CC
Location: Sri Lanka
Contact:

Re: Body Frame main clips repair

Post by Dumindu »

Thank you for your valuable advice.
Post Reply