So I have been trying to get my 86 up and running so I can get a few DE's in this year, but have come across something that may prevent that. I noticed that my lower radiator support seemed to be WAY too close to the power steering pump and AC compressor. SO I pulled off the front bumper and found what I was dreading.

It looks like someone bottomed out the front of the car and cracked the rad support, pushing the whole bottom support forward towards the engine. Is there anything that can really be done to fix this? Or is it even worth having it fixed? I'm assuming it will cost more than the car itself did.

Here are the pics, any input would be great.

I'm sure a body shop could pull it out enough to be useable. You may also need to weld a couple L-brackets on the bottom cornders if the metal is fatigued and rusted.

If you're handy yourself, a friend, a couple come-a-longs and some sturdy anchor points would probably be enough to get it pulled out to be useful again.

hammering,pulling and maybe some welding.

That will fix it enough to do the job. I ran my 944 into tire wall and had to so some hammering and pulling to get things back to 90%. Lucky for me no welding was required.

You do not have a big problem, you have a small one. The prior comments are correct. Remove the radiator, fans etc. and use hammers and other hand tools to straighten the mounts up. While they may not be perfect, you can get them bent out to move the radiator out to where it should be. If you need any welding, it should be minor.

As for the very bottom, I put a turbo radiator into my car. It is taller than the stock one so I fabed up two L brackets to attach to the sides of the mounts and extend the bottom down to accommodate the longer radiator. You can do the same idea, if necessary, to hold the bottom piece.

Not a big deal at all so get er done and get to the track.

Big Dog

Aaron

I could help bang on things with you at some point - if these guys think its worth trying to fix, we should give it a shot.

It is definitely worth fixing. The alternative is to junk the tub and it is not even worth considering that. This is not much damage and can be easily repaired. Remember, it does not have to look original, it just has to hold the radiator out enough to clear everything.

If the side mounts seem weak from the bending, use some al. and fab a brace side piece to fasten to it to add shear strength. I did that to mine when I hit the bottom of the radiator. I did it to hopefully strengthen it. If you need a photo, I can try to get you one. I may be able to e-mail it to you as I have never posted pics on this forum.\

Big Dog