Catastrophic chassis failure! What now?

[project 911]

Well I just came home with my car on a flatbed. Went out for a drive and came up a hill into the sun (couldn't see anything) and hit this monster bump in the road. The back of the car dropped to the ground, throttle stuck open, clutch pedal froze, shifter froze. I managed to get a grip and get the key turned off and made it to the side of the road. The back end was so low I couldn't get under it to see what was going on but figured I must have torn out the torsion bar tube. The entire engine and tranny has been pushed back about an inch, and sure enough my torsion tube is ripped wide open. I should have know better than to take a drive on 666.

So, I'm too wound up to wade through the archives. Can anyone tell me what I'm up against in replacing the tube? I think I know where I can get one, but need to know details on what is involved.

Any help would be appreciated. Sheesh... I would have been better off if I had hit a tree or something.

[herman maire]

Nice move keeping your cool and getting to the ignition . Most people would probably end up in the bush and wreck the car

If you decide to try to fix it I would say convert over to coilovers. As long as it solid around the spring plate bolts. My only concern would be that it torqued the chasis a little bit . Best bet would be to get it on a jig and see how solid the rest of the car is.

You have any pics

[project 911]

Hard to remember that the key is on the left in a panic.

No pics of the carnage yet, but it is really ugly. I guess I should consider myself lucky on one point. The fuel lines to the carbs were pulled tight when the engine moved back. If they would have come loose the car might have burned down on top of all the other trouble.

I'm wondering if you can cut the tube at each end where they meet the chassis, or does a replacement job have to replace the tube all the way through the chassis to the ouside where the spring plates are???

[JP911]

I've looked into what it takes to replace the tube and from what I've read the welding itself is nothing out of the ordinary for somebody who knows what they're doing, but in order to retain factory suspension specs the work must be done with a chassis jig.

[project 911]

Jon-

Do you know off hand if a tube from a 76 or 77 Targa would work as a replacement in my 71? Are there differences in mounts for different years?

[dan79brooklyn]

Take good pictures of the "bump" in the road as well as the damage to your car from the road. I believe the county/town that maintains the road is responsible for the damage...It's certainly worth looking into. I know I have heard of people getting re-imbursed from damage done by poorly maintained roadways.
Of course the sun and possibly excessive speed might have played a part as well...Sorry for the damage it sounds very scary, glad you are OK.

[JP911]

Steve-
I'm not sure if the torsion tube is interchangeable between a 71 and a 76-77. I know that some Pelicans have used the later aluminum trailing arms on their early cars, so it may just work. You could also look in the Pelican catalog to find out what range of years the aftermarket torsion bars work on.

[Chuck Moreland]

Hmmmm. The torsion tube doesn't hang down, it's above the bottom of the chassis. I don't think it would be possible for it to hit a bump, no matter how large.

Could you be talking about the transaxle mount instead?

How did the front of the car fair, since it went over the bump first?

Something smells wrong about this damage diagnosis. Maybe it's not as dire as you think.

Do you have pictures?

[project 911]

I'll have to check on that. The roads are really bad around here, but this was like hitting a curb at about 50. Never saw it coming.

[project 911]

Hi Chuck,

The front end managed the bump, but it just hit so hard in the back that the torsion tube let loose. Nothing actually made contact with the bump (other than tires). I don't know yet if the torsion bars are in tact, but the way the tube broke allowed the bananna arm and transmission mounts to "relocate". The rear motor mount bar has a huge bow in it as everything moved back.

Not a great pic, but you can see the bow in the motor mount.

[Chuck Moreland]

Wheel must have pulled on the trailing arm very hard, bending the torsion tube. It's amazing the front wheel made it over unscathed.

I woud bet you have more chassis damage. I'd get it on a rack for measurements.

[project 911]

I'm afraid to think what else might be damaged. I managed to get under it with a mirror and the tube is ripped wide open. The big washers that the transmission mounting bolts go through are all bent up. Bad things happened very quickly.

[herman maire]

Who knows... Maybe like chuck mentioned the transmission cross member broke and the trans hit the road and forced the motor back. Maybe somebody did not tighten the trans mounts enough.


To answer your question about the torsion tubes fiting your car.... I know that from 72-up they are pretty interchangeable . As for the 71 model I am not 100%.


Car looks pretty nice... From what I can see anyway .
I look forward to know what really happened

[Jandrews]

That's about the strangest incident I have ever heard of. Very sorry to hear of the damage...that car looks very clean from the limited picture - a shame indeed.

Do you have a pic of this bump? Is it possible that there was extreme rust in the torsion tube area that would have made it prone to giving way? I can only imagine that it would take an actual curb, hit squarely, to do that kind of damage.

Wow. Best of luck in the repairs.


JA

[project 911]

I did find a post or two in the archives of the same damage just from hitting potholes, so I guess I'm not the first. There was rust involved, I'm sure of that.

I just finished resetting the ride height a couple of days ago too.

Here's how low it was sitting after the damage.

[Series900]

ouch!I have what you need, everything. you should call me in the morning.

oh 2 asprins or 2 shots , your choice.sorry could'nt resist!

[project 911]

I'll take the two shots and a torsion tube please.

[Jandrews]

Ahh..."Euro" height. Sorry...couldn't resist.

Dang, that car is clean, too. Hope your repairs go smoothly.

Best,


JA

[dentist90]

Kinda like seeing a loved one taken away in an ambulance.

[kycarguy 935]

That is a weird accident. Possibly the transmission mount caught on the bump and dug in. Would like to see the pictures when you get some. Thats a beautiful car you have. Goodluck on the outcome.