I just pulled the front beam assembly and stripped my 70 Ghia. You can put a Big Flathead screwdriver through the Shock panels on both sides, between the beams, easily. Having stripped it down, the remainder is looking good. My delimna is should I get out the welder and buy those little repair panels and weld the snot out of the shock mounts and re-assemble OR do I get a new beam assembly? I have heard that the original German is the way go to go and that replacement front beam assemblies are iffy on quality and durability. Before I go one way or the other, I would welcome some experienced commentary.
I would base my decision upon the condition of the inner control arm bushings, since replacement parts are no longer available. Inspect the control arms closely for wear at the inner end, if they're pristine then IMO it's well worth the time to weld in the shock tower reinforcement plates. Otherwise, simplify your life and throw on a new Brazilian beam - true, they aren't as good as OG, but they're serviceable.
I'm assuming you've already checked the beam tubes for straightness, of course...
Yes straight. And I pulled the control arms out of the beams yesterday and they are pristine. The car does not have much mileage on it, just sat in a barn for 27 yrs and rusted - after a really, really bad bondo job. Part of what got me here was the rust holes on the drivers side in the shock leg upper arm, on the outside curved area, underneath the upper shock mount. All of the outside frame seam on the shock mount is good but there are some holes. The worst is outer between the beams, right where those patch panels are designed to go.
My plan is to clean, patch and weld. I will reweld the seams as well, in areas where they seem weak. Do I have to watch for weld warping? How do you get all that frickin grease out? And should I take the torsion bars out for the welding job?
I'd remove the springs and rubber dust seals and clean out the old grease (paper towels, rags, sticks, coathangers) but I suppose you wouldn't have to - tape off the ends to keep weld spatter out, have a bucket of water & wet rags handy if you start a fire.
Warpage shouldn't be a problem, but it's best practice to "stitch" - limit the amount of heat put into one area at a time by moving around the work.
This has been a great dialogue and has confirmed many things in my mind.
I will take out the springs and the seals and do a complete solvent wash out as the grease was really packed into the shock mounts and combined with the dirt, it is pretty thick. I have ordered the pieces today and a complete rebuild set for the rest of the sterring linkage and suspension parts. Seemed like the way to go now that I am this far along.
The steering box has some play in it, a rock back and forth between the set points in the gears. What is normal? I ma guessing that would translate into a fair amount of steering play and that is not something i want to entertain in a rebuilt front end. Any suggestions there? I have the bently manual and could rebuild I guess.
New TRW Brazilian boxes are available for ~$100 if yours turns out to be terminal. Check for play in the output shaft bearing, if it's snug you may be able to make major improvement just by adjustment. http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006 ... t-ten.html
Today is a good day. I sent the dissassembled front end to the machine shop and then spent some time with steel and electricity and welded the beam areas that were bad. Please do not comment on my welding job, not one of my strong points. But the bearings are back in and the whole unit is coming back together. More pictures tomorrow.
