Best way of fixing this frame rail

**cvharps11** · 03-08-2015 04:09 PM

So I was driving and my abs light flickered a couple times and my car stuttered a lil, then I went around a turn and I think my back left caliper locked up or something because my back left tire was completely gone. Anyway, I spun out and hit a fire hydrant completely fucking my front end. This is the damage To the frame rail. Any advice is great. Btw I live In lanc pa if you know of any places to take it.

**cvharps11** · 03-08-2015 04:18 PM

And this is what happens to my oil pans. Also managed to crack a cam gear.

**zillarob** · 03-08-2015 04:30 PM

Man, thats a tough one. Sorry to see

Replacing front end parts is expensive and difficult to find used. Frame bench for that rail is going to be a chunk of change also.
You might be able to fix the pans and gear yourself, but that is prob a motor pull.

I gotta feeling you will be better off just getting a different car and maybe parting this one to offset the cost as best you can.

**cvharps11** · 03-08-2015 05:05 PM

I had considered both a new motor and also parting it but it doesn't seem worth it. I already got a new rad support, rad and fans from a friend. Also got a cam gear so I won't need to source too many parts. I'm wondering if I can get away with just the lower pan and some in weld. It looks like I'll still be able to get a deal but dont know. Also my bumper wasn't on the car at the time.. thank god

**zillarob** · 03-08-2015 06:51 PM

I dont see why a little jb weld wouldnt seal the upper until you have the motor out and can fix it proper.

They make it down the street from me and I have a ton of that stuff.
PM me your addy or swing by next time you are on the turnpike near Morgantown and Ill give you a couple tubes.

**Mille Bornes** · 03-08-2015 07:01 PM

My frame rail was bent just like that. I heated it up and bent it back using a hammer and a big pry bar. It turned out OK... Can't really tell from a distance but up close you can see that the bumper doesn't sit quite right anymore.

I kinda wish I'd let a body shop fix it right but I'm sure that would be a lot more expensive than free lol

**cvharps11** · 03-08-2015 07:10 PM

I mean I'd like it done properly but if I can avoid pulling the motor or dropping the subframe then that's Def how I wanna go for now. Thanks zillarob. And maybe I will just try to straight it out.

**cvharps11** · 03-09-2015 06:29 AM

I got my cam gear from a parts a4. Looks identical. Any issues with this?

**hibiscusS4** · 03-09-2015 06:59 AM

if its from a 30 valve 2.8 id say its the same but i dont wana be the only one to say that so hopfully someone else does to

**b6scott** · 03-10-2015 09:50 AM

Looks like you can get away with just welding a new cap on the end of the rail so pulling the motor is not necessary. I would recommend having a shop put the car on a frame machine though to make sure every thing is straight other wise the car wont drive straight.

**landfill** · 03-10-2015 10:29 PM

Frame puller from a body shop or do it the redneck way and strap a chain to the frame rail
and wrap it around a tree. Hit it in reverse lol.

All jokes aside just take it to a body shop
with a puller rack and have them do it.

**chaos2984** · 03-11-2015 03:16 AM

Originally Posted by landfill

Frame puller from a body shop or do it the redneck way and strap a chain to the frame rail
and wrap it around a tree. Hit it in reverse lol.

All jokes aside just take it to a body shop
with a puller rack and have them do it.

This lol. But look more deeper on that frame rail and see if any of the crush points are screwed up. They should look like little dents in the frame rails on the corners of the box. Make should they look ok and if they are you just need to bend that plate back. Get a come a long and wrap it to the tree and your good. But if the crush points are damaged then take it to a body shop with the way the car is now and they shouldn't charge you to much to fix it since its all apart.

**rdcyclist** · 03-11-2015 09:18 AM

Do it the educated redneck way:

1. Bolt the old bumper shock to the frame horn.
2. Wrap a big ass chain around a nearby tree.
3. Position the car so the pull will be about a 20 degree oblique from the centerline of the car.
4. Chock the front wheels so the car won't slide.
5. Tie the front end of the bumper shock to the chain with your trusty come-along (a ratcheting winch kind of thing).
6. Load the shock until the frame horn starts to straighten.
7. Pound on the buckled area with a heavy hammer.
8. Repeat 6&7 until the horn is lined up with the other one.

I did this on my thousand dollar C5A6 2.7t and managed to get the horn lined up will enough that when the new (to me) bumper was installed it aligned perfectly. Literally, other than the mismatched bumper and hood color (Dolphin Gray car, Ming Blue hood and bumper) you can't tell that the previous owner drove the car into a concrete filled post at a gas station. I bought the car thinking I would use the drivetrain (the car had 80k on it) in my C5A6 2.8 Avant but ended up fixing the front end and driving the piss out of it. It is the best highway cruiser I've ever owned; you cannot feel the difference between 70 and 90mph.

**chinaren** · 03-11-2015 09:30 PM

i did the exact thing on my friend's A4, we went to a junk yard, and bought two frame rails for $50, bring an sawzall. measure the distance where you cut the rail off, and cut the same place where your s4 rail is, weld them up, sand blast and paint. We did it all in one day. From the out of the car, you can even tell if this car has been an accident. good luck

**Audi_From_Hell** · 03-12-2015 12:26 AM

The front apron/frame rail is an easy fix. Frame guys see this all the time. A come along and a tree work wonders for cheap. Frame rack time would be minimal on this car.

**cvharps11** · 03-12-2015 05:10 PM

Damn all these options ha. I know I could snag a foot of frame rail from a yard for super cheap but don't know if that's what I wanna do. I think it would be difficult to get straight cuts

**T.pops** · 03-12-2015 05:30 PM

The cuts shouldn't be that hard. Cut More than you need from the scrap car, then once you take off the original and make your measurements you can grind or cut the replacement down to size. Are you a decent welder?

**MacDaddy** · 03-12-2015 09:53 PM

its hard to say, but best get a shop with a puller and a frame rack to do the work and check/adjust the cars alignment.

if you try pulling it at home your either going to pull too much or not enough, you can also cause more damage than the original accident, it could also be pushed back, up side down, who knows.

**Scotty@Advanced** · 03-13-2015 07:16 PM

Audi sells the frame horn.

**cb s4** · 03-14-2015 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by MacDaddy

its hard to say, but best get a shop with a puller and a frame rack to do the work and check/adjust the cars alignment.

if you try pulling it at home your either going to pull too much or not enough, you can also cause more damage than the original accident, it could also be pushed back, up side down, who knows.

What he said do it right the first time will cost u more in the long run if you dont