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Chassis flex when turning steering wheel where steering box is mounted

1250 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  ghnl
I have a 1987 Spider with NO VISUAL rust. (the vehicle lived it’s live in New Mexico).
Yesterday when I was laying under the vehicle and checking out the balljoints and steering components, we noticed that there is quite a bit of flex on the chassis when you turn the steering wheel.
Wheels on the ground, while turning the steering wheel back and forth, the chassis or frame where the steering box is mounted to, flexes.
The steering box itself is firmly secured to the chassis, but it is the chassis itself that flexes slightly.

A friend told me that although I do not see any rust, the frame might be rusted from within.

Does the chassis flexes when you turn the steering wheel?
Do I have a structural problem?

If it is kinda normal should I stiffen the area where the steering box is mounted?

Thanks,
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After a good hard look at whatever you can to determine if it's rotting from the inside out (I kinda doubt it, but you never now) you might want to investigate a chassis stiffener as a means of support as it ties in up front right where you need it too.

A sump guard can also go a little ways toward taking a bit of flex out of the front frame legs around the engine. (it sorta boxes in the center rail and forward rail taking some of the torsion flex away)

The stiffener together with a guard can really bring it.

Still, I've not heard of one flexing quite like you describe, or at least not super noticably, so you'll likely want to invesitgate very closely before dertermining your plan of action.
Any evidence of crash damage? (like wrinkled sheet metal?) Even properly repaired that can weaken the uni-body.
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