Series I L27 (1992-1994 SE,SLE, SSE) & Series II L36 (1995-1999 SE, SSE, SLE) and common problems for the Series I and II L67 (all supercharged models 92-99) Including Olds 88's, Olds LSS's, Olds 98 91-96, Buick Lesabres and Park Avenue 91-96. Please use General Chat for non-mechanical issues, and Performance and Brainstorming for improvements.
So, about three weeks agao dad and i were puting on new rear struts and a new right rear wheel hub for the good ol' 98. everything went good untill it came time to lower him down off the jacks..... had jsut goten the left wheel back on the car finishing up the job, when we heard a loud (pop) coming from under the trunk area. Not sure if it was the jacks or something on the car we got it lowered down PDQ. once it was down i crawled under the car to take a look at the trunk to see if i could find what caused the noise. just my luck it would seem (not), the left rear sway bar mount by the trunk had rusted bad enough that the pressure fromn all the new parts an what not had punched it up through the frame. Now, i have a hanging sway bar with a big hole were the frame is supose to be my two questions are as follows: Is it worth fixing?(assumeing that the right side is in almost as bad of shape) and: if it is worth it how would i do it?
I have a few pics i can add on here later tonight if that will help out. Dad has no clue on what to do and im just as lost as he is as i have never had this happen to a car of mine. As always, any and all help is welcome and well valued!!!
They call me...Snowflake Mine:1998 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3800 II 250k miles (Bad engine) MODS: all chrome lug nuts, ported UIM LIM, 180 T-stat In Progress: Finished overhaul under the hood, & updated interior.
OURS(DD): 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix 3100SFI 165k miles MODS: custom lights both front and back Hers: 04 Pontiac Aztec Base model. More to come later
Rust. You can cut, bend, and weld in new metal with a MIG, but you have to cut all the rust out as far back as it goes - which is usually a lot farther than the hole. There are a few various techniques to re-build the structure of the frame rail, my favorite is to use rod welded into the corners and weld the new sheet metal to the rod in cut-to-fit flat sections (like framework behind drywall). You cannot weld to heavy rust, you have to get to clean metal, and I recommend something like POR-15 used over the repair to keep it protected and prevent rust.
Is it worth fixing depends on what it's going to cost you to do that. Most shops that I know of wouldn't even touch it, and there are coatings on automotive metal that can create some nasty fumes while welding, so proper prep and ventilation are required.
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The Fleet: '93 SSEi - Twincharged + manual Build thread '97 Camaro - Top swap '05 STS - V8, AWD, her DD '92 Trofeo - Fair weather DD '99 Montana - top swap 3800 '04 Sierra 2500HD - LLY Duramax
That's what i had been thinking. Sadly though, even though the rights not as bed as the left both sides or pretty far gone just the few calls i have made this week to shops about doing welding or compltly repplacing the two frames is WAY more then i can afford right now. i dont have any welding stuff of my own either so thats no help lol. hopeing to be able to possible find a cheap(ish) way to fix it ourselves. it is undrivable right now beacuse the left side is completly detached from the frame and is just hanging there under the car. As much as i realy hate to say it.... if we cant figure a way to get it fixed by the end of October, the wife says its time to sell/get ride of the ol' boy, and im thinkn i might have to agree with her right now...
They call me...Snowflake Mine:1998 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3800 II 250k miles (Bad engine) MODS: all chrome lug nuts, ported UIM LIM, 180 T-stat In Progress: Finished overhaul under the hood, & updated interior.
OURS(DD): 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix 3100SFI 165k miles MODS: custom lights both front and back Hers: 04 Pontiac Aztec Base model. More to come later
What is the feasibility of running with no rear sway bar for the time being, to keep it on the road?
~Randall~
1993 Buick Park Avenue - 197k - Some odds and ends done - Simply won't die
1994 Buick Regal - 78k - Bone stock - Always ready for a good kicking
1990 Oldsmobile 88 - Gone to a better place
Not to sure about that for two reasons
1: Right now i am runing about 900 miles a week round trip for work
2: We have abouth another 3 weeks of road construsction left on the roads i have to take to get to work, so there are a few too many bumps to be doing 55-65 mph on the highway with no rear sway bar. i had thought bout that too till i relized the above factors lol. life is never fair!
They call me...Snowflake Mine:1998 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3800 II 250k miles (Bad engine) MODS: all chrome lug nuts, ported UIM LIM, 180 T-stat In Progress: Finished overhaul under the hood, & updated interior.
OURS(DD): 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix 3100SFI 165k miles MODS: custom lights both front and back Hers: 04 Pontiac Aztec Base model. More to come later
just my luck it would seem (not), the left rear sway bar mount by the trunk had rusted bad enough that the pressure fromn all the new parts an what not had punched it up through the frame. Now, i have a hanging sway bar with a big hole were the frame is supose to be 
my two questions are as follows: Is it worth fixing?(assumeing that the right side is in almost as bad of shape) and: if it is worth it how would i do it? 
just the few calls i have made this week to shops about doing welding or compltly repplacing the two frames is WAY more then i can afford right now. i dont have any welding stuff of my own either so thats no help lol. hopeing to be able to possible find a cheap(ish) way to fix it ourselves. it is undrivable right now beacuse the left side is completly detached from the frame and is just hanging there under the car. As much as i realy hate to say it.... 
