dent in A frame, repair or replace?

[guyjohnwood@aol.com]

Dear all,

Car almost stripped down. As we do so, we find minor issues. The latest is that one of the A frames has got a slight dent in it. How does one repair this, considering the steel grade is no longer available. Can anyone recommend a company that might have the right jigs etc to carry out a repair, then shot blast to prepare for prime and paint. I have a quote for a new Assembly of both A frames, picture box etc etc, and it is getting close to ?2k ( VAT and carriage included ). I will invest in this, but thought it worth exploring the "fix it" route first.

[christopher storey]

How big is the dent, how deep, where, and in which frame ? There can be trivial dents which can be ignored if you are not too fussy. Anything else requires replacement of the particular frame ( and probably all since Uryk will no longer supply individual frames except possibly as replacement for his own frames . The real trick with the frames when they are off the car is to shake them in a variety of attitudes . If you can hear anything inside, it is rust and they require replacement in any event. There is no satisfactory means of repairing the frames - any welding destroys the stress relieving heat treatment which was given to the Renold frames after manufacture and may render them liable to sudden fracture

[Moeregaard]

If you're this far into your restoration, I would fit a new set from Uryk. They use material that is superior to the original Reynolds tubing in every way, his workmanship is superb, and when you're back on the road you won't be wondering if and when you'll have a failure.

[Sarthe72]

I stripped my car last autumn and the first thing I did was to order a new set from Uryk. These frames rust from the inside out and crack around the welds and mine were over 25 years old. For about ?2,000 a no-brainer for me. my safety is worth the ?2,000. And if yours is a S1 car then you should at the same time look at the Cool Cat fans that they sell too. Direct replacement for the two-bladed windmill and bolts direct to the picture frame, not held on by cable ties through the radiator matrix