Engine cradle repairing

[2ML67]

Has any one had any luck with repairing an engine cradle that is rotted in the area where the lower control arms bolt in. I have one here from an 87 GT and on the one side the mounting surface is rotted away, the other portion of the same control arm bolts to is ok and the other half the frame is fine it is just the one side where the bolt goes through the bushing for mounting.
I usually toss cradles with rust in this area but good cradles are getting hard to find with out going south of the border then they are too expensive to get shipped any ways. Dan

[2ML67]

Took the cradle to a local welding shop and the guy reccomended I just weld in a piece of steel with a hole for the rusted bolt to go through and weld it all into place.
This should make it nice and strong but will make it almost impossible to be able to remove the lower control arm at a later date.
Problem is the nut on the bolt is badly rusted and will not come loose to be able to remove the bolt and control arm to be able to get in there and repair the rotted metal. Dan

[aaron88]

Your going to have to make a fixture (some people would call it a jig, but this is not the correct terminology) to hold all the parts in place while you weld up a new section of cradle.  That’s the only thing I would recommend, if your not going to get a good cradle.

It would be three times more work but you could make up a whole new cradel?

Good luck.

[2ML67]

I ended up cutting two pieces of angle iron so they would come together inside the cradle with the center piece cut out to clear the nut.
Then welded the two halves together and to the rest of the cradle so it is good and strong.
That will work for this one but I think it is getting time to start designing and building a new cradle for the 84 to 87 Fieros. Dan