hey guys got a 02 tl type s with some pretty bad corrosion on the subframe. I live in eastern canada so the winters up here are brutal on cars. Otherwise the car is mint dealer maintained for 10 yrs then I bought it from original owner.

I found the whole subframe and engine cradle along with control arms attached for 450 and my buddys mechanic said he could do the job for 400. do you think this is a good deal and most importantly whats all involved . I have skimmed through some threads about the ac drain hose dripping on the topside of the frame? is that something that can be re routed fairly easy so this just doesn't happen down the road again. Im keeping this car i FRIGGIN love it!

The thing that scares me is how well does a 12yr old car come apart lol. She is in excellent shape however. could use a new paint job but thats about it.

what do you guys think??

Thanks

 

Considering the rust that's there and eaten away at the subframe, you can bet that your mechanic will be cutting & torching some of the more exposed and corroded nuts & bolts. I work on 40+ year old cars all day (hotrod/resto shop) and I can tell you that rust is a worthy adversary, and not for the faint of heart lol pb blaster or wd 40 go a loooong way to helping your situation. Having done a few subframes on Cg6's it isn't really that bad if you have a lift at your disposal.

Dunno about rerouting the ac line though, perhaps an ounce of prevention is in order there, with a rust catalyst such as POR15 or equivalent before the new part is installed? I use that stuff on half million dollar Shelbys and Boss Mustangs all the time. Works great but don't get it on you, only time will remove it

 

its only on the passenger side though. I haven't received the assembly from the scrapyard yet but i would assume that it will have all the various nuts, bolts and mounts etc. ??

 

Don't count on it, they just yank it at whatever the cost in my experience, may have to source the necessary nuts/bolts/mounts elsewhere if what you have isn't salvageable

 

do not expect anything but the bare part
as noted above, air tools, torches and prybars may have been involved in parts removal
My neighbor works at a place and verifies its yank and bank

You may need to replace everything that attaches to the main frame assembly
but at this point on your resto mod of a TL, its worth having fresh bushings and control arms-steering parts etc
Old nuts and bolts should be replaced so they hold the correct torque, very important on all those steering-suspension parts

Lots of good stuff in the performance section on here and our DIY section for cheap and expensive things you can do
certain maintenance of the egr inside manifold is unknown to most!
there are a few transmission options for alternate auto trans or a 6 speed manual

 

I basically have this whole assembly coming

 

http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/...All&vinsrch=no

 

but as you guys are saying it will prob just be the bare part. so what else should I look at here. drivers side should be in good shape. psngr side not so great.

 

It's always the passenger side that goes bad. If not mistaken, Accord subframes also fit....but check first. Make sure that ya get a good rust-free part and request for the yard to keep the misc hardware.

As previously mentioned, while the subframe is dropped....replace any nearby suspension parts which may be worn. A good time to do the rear mount. The replacement is bolt on, but requires some finesse and a lift to support things.

Reroute the AC condensate drain hose and apply a rust preventative as MrMoAcurapar suggested. Good luck and enjoy the car. BTW, how's the tranny ???

 

lol trannys great! car runs super smooth. original owner had it replaced back in like 05-06 if I'm not mistaken. and suspension up front is all new same as the rear. one thing about where i live winters are bad so then when it all thaws its pothole city, suspension replacement is common up here.

And as far as accords and CLs and base TLs go I called acura to see if part#s were the same and no go. so type s is all different according to part#s

 

part number may differ for the same part~
auto dismantler yards KNOW interchange, its their business!

my TEIN struts say for Accord years blah-blah

 

ok so here is the story...tried some local scrapyards and ALL pieces from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec were all rotted! Had to get the piece from Texas and boy was she nice looking. Not a dot of rust on it! 500 bucks though just for the crossmember, the subframe was structurally sound.

A mechanic who is my dads friend said he could do the job if everything went well it would be 4-5 hr job. All did not go well, EVERYTHING was seized lol. Alot of torching and welding as someone mentioned above it took him a long time to do this job. He was unaware that the steering rack lies directly across the frame? But he said that took some finesse with the power steering lines. also I believe he said the exhaust manifold had to come down and that was not easy either.

I ended up not needing to replace anything however, ALL mounts were good. He charged me 300 bucks which is an absolute steal anywhere else that would have been close to a grand labour easy. Pays to have friends in the right places I suppose.

Car runs great! Needs some new paint along with A-Spec lip kit and shes set

 

Yeah, corrosion and rusted nuts are difficult to work with. No fun. Total "PITA"
Make sure to put the car up on a rack and thoroughly inspect the entire underbody. Rust kills most everything metal. Brakes, suspension, exhaust and fuel/brake lines are things to inspect closely.

May be a good idea to have the car's underneath steam cleaned, then apply a rust preventative product on exposed areas to slow future corrosion. The doors and rear quarters may need some interior rust proofing, but be careful of venting holes.

 

I know I said I wouldnt but im selling it, going over to 3g TL land lol. 2006 Royal Blue Pearl

 

^^^ There always comes the time to move on.
Best of luck with the newer 3rd Gen TL. They are nice cars. You're still in the family !!!