Volvo 1800ES Rusty Crossmember Repair Plans, 02/18/24

The front crossmember on my Volvo 1800ES were completely rusted through, due to a bad design that led to mud trapping water and causing rust. The water then rusted the frame rails and sill / rocker panels. But the middle of the sill panels are fine, so it does not need a complete sill replacement.
This is my plan for a sill patch, instead of complete sill replacement.
#volvop1800 #classicvolvo #rustrepair #classiccarrestoration #volvo1800ES #autobodyrepair

[@GT1900garage]

Thanks for the new series to follow !!! It seems that although rusty it is, it's still strong Swedish quality work and good base to work with. Thanks and keep going! Cool looking 1800ES, very rare at least here in Finland.

[@AndySomogyi]

The Volvo is a fairly solid unibody underneath , with several frame rails and cross members . Sadly these were not sealed well and collected mud and water .
But I’m getting there , the rear cross member is almost done, and I recorded a bunch of camera footage , now I just need to edited into a RUclips :)

[@drewlivingston2697]

Andy. I am not a body man but have done repairs to the sills of an 1800E without replacing the entire sills. On the basis there is no other rust in the immediate area that needs repair, your methods look fine. Support both sides of the main cross member before removing any more material and completing your repair. I have not looked at previous videos, but assume you have aggressively looked for rust in other sill areas. In my case, I had to remove and replace the outer sill to complete repairs to the middle sill. Other susceptible areas are the overlap seams on the outer sill and where the rear crossmember attaches to the inner sill. Another common area is behind the removable inner fender. If dirt gets past the inner fender or through rust in the inner fender, then the A pillar and middle sill can have rust damage. If these areas all look good, you are ahead of the game. Kudos for taking on this project

[@AndySomogyi]

Thanks ! I did remove the inner fender , and luckily it was just surface rust there .
I have the front cross member removed now and cleaning up the areas around it . Did end up cutting about a 2” hole in the inner sill panel, but behind it , doesn’t look too bad . Sprayed some rust dissolver in there and waiting until it’s 100% clean , then I’ll weld in a patch .
The rear wheel arch was a massive pain, both sides were rusted at the center seam. But those are done . My prev videos were on the rear arches .
It’s crazy how many spots this car can trap water , what was Volvo thinking with such a crazy design 🤬🤪.
Interestingly enough , inside my sill panels looks basically fine , minor surface rust . I’m going to set up a recirculating pump with Evaporust or Rust 911 to flush it all out, then spray the insides with Mastercoat. According to Repair Geek, it’s the best anti corrosion paint tested .