A1 frame crack

That Rabbit looks mint!

The crack (from what I can see) isn't structural so I wouldn't worry about it; however, if the rest of the car is in the shape that it appears to be, drop a couple hundred dollars (if that) into it to clean it up.

Is that basically a european golf mark 1? Looks tatty, and that crack/bend would fail a Ministry Of Transport test over here. If you think about when the car crashes that will snap in two on impact killing you instantly, do you want to run that risk?

I can't tell too much from the pic. Is that really a stress crack and the metal is cracked or is it just bent from someone jacking of the car incorrectly and only the paint is cracked??

Chris

Jim B.

That damage is nothing more then cosmetic. it is totally safe to drive, slap some bondo on it, and DON'T try to jack the car from that spot, and you'll be fine. Trust me, I know what I'm doing.

Thanks for the advice! By the way, that 2dr 1979 L of yours looks like an absolute gem. Good stuff.

So just bondo and paint and let'er go? Why do you think it cracked there? Is it being flexed with the frame? In any case the crack doesn't extend past the "sandwich weld" just under the car.

I have been jacking the car from the 'donut' stamped metal extrusions, is that the right thing to be doing?

The variety of feedback on this crack has me a little nervous, I have to admit.

-Antony H

Victoria, Canada

Yep, it's the same car as a Golf Mk.1, just different headlights, engine and exhaust, AFAIK.

I'm all for road safety inspections, judging from some of the things I see on the road. With the exception of that crack I have confidence this thing would definitely pass.

Do you have any experience with repairing anything like this, are you thinking I should ditch the car?

Can't say if it is a crack from stress or from incorrect jacking of the car (I just bought it a month ago) but it is definitely through the metal.

I have looked at the frame structure and can't make up my mind how much stress that portion is subjected to. I will definitely be watching it to see if it's growing.

-Antony H

Hey Jim,

Yeah, I have to admit for $30 it was worth my while to get the garage to mount and balance the new treads. I don't have a garage to work with!

The car has no rust in any of the deadly places, only a bit right in the center of the rear skirt by the exhaust cutout where someone hit a rock and the aforementioned crack. Nothing around any of the glass, nothing around the wheel wells.

I don't have the time to hunt down cars across North America, I am out here in Victoria BC and unless they're in Washington State it's a little too far for me to bother! This was by far in the best condition of the four Rabbits that I looked at.

Basically I'm just interested in this one as a good daily driver, though I'd like to keep it in as good condition as possible for sentimental reasons (Rabbits are such cool cars). I'll drive it into the ground if necessary.

So you would choose option c) ? Thanks for your advice, much appreciated!

-Antony H

I know a welder who charges in cases of beer but it doesn't look like there is much metal there to work with, at least in that rusty dime-sized triangular bit. Would you suggest bondo?

-Antony H

Buy an A2 Golf, drive it into the ground and save the Bunny!

- Pete

Fix it or the bunny gets it ;)

Seriously, I don't want to kill her. Cash is tight and I can't afford to keep a collector's car but if it makes you feel any better I am taking better care of it then the last owner!

-Antony

I'm the same way with my '90 Canadian Spec Jetta GLI....She just got home from the body shop 2 weeks ago....looks like a brand new car, and I intend to drive her for a while...at least until the lease on my parents New Beetle matures in 2007, and I buy it out. Probably will always keep the Jetta though, it being my first car and having basically restored it from the ground up, I know it like the back of my hand!

- Pete

I once bought a 74 rabbit for parts that was actually rusted in half from your spot accross to the center of the car. It flexed when moved! It didn't look bad untill I looked under the carpet. Pull up your carpet and examine the rest of it.

Jo Bo

Unfortunately you can't pull out the tin snips and rivet in some sheet metal. Assuming there is no structural issue, I'd try to grind out the rust and use some long-strand fibreglass. But a body-man I am not. To put your mind at ease, drop by your local dealer and ask one of the body shop guys for his opinion. They'll gladly do it just to see the rest of the car! :)

Fibreglass.

That's where I jack if I can't reach the frame rail (my '89 is dropped about 10 cm).

See my other post...you should be able to get a couple free body shop opinions (i.e., from the dealer).

Darryl.

Hi Antony, Looks like your bunny has been doing some ditch-hopping... Dosen't appear to be dangerous, if that's the only damage. Easy fix, if you're not looking for perfection. Take it to a local shop & have them weld it. Take it home & finish it with a little bondo, then spray some semi-flat black on it. Won't cost much & you'll breathe easier. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver" (30 yrs. body experience)

Thanks to everyone who replied! Yesterday I took the 'silver arrow' for a run out to a local VW specialist body shop guy (the only one in the city that any of the VW garages/parts shops could think of who was any good) and he confirmed - not a structural issue. There is a little rust on the real structural members on either side of the shift lever/exhaust and a crack where the outside rear drivers side seat rail mounts but the rest of the car is solid (as the Rabbits get).

The reason the spot looks so bad is because it was just bondo carefully sculpted over a rusty bit. The crack got going pretty quickly once it got started.

So I have installed front mudflaps and duct taped over the holes to keep the water out and this summer will do a silicone seal job! He suggested silicone over bondo in this type of body patching for its flexibility and crack resistance.

The car's getting uglier every day but it's still running... :)

Thanks again, cheers,

-A

Don't use silicone - can't paint over it. If you want to just seal it up, go back to the shop & get the guy to put some windshield urethane in it. It's black, sticks like (you guessed it), & seals better than anything else. You may have to schedule it so that he can do it at the same time as a winshield install, as it comes in a caulking tube & tends to harden if you open one & use a little of it. HTH, ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"