Just swapped out my Sub Frame

2k1MotorSport · Post by **2k1MotorSport** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 5:10 pm

Finally got it done after the person who was originally going to do it kept putting it off, I finally went to someone who could do it (for a good price) Now i hope i can pass inspection. Don't let yours get that bad.

They are cell phone pics. The first pic is the one going in. It was from the junk yard. It was cleaned and some parts were sanded down. A coat of zinc was applied along with under coating on both sides. Looks brand new.

These are the pics of the one that was taken out. you can see that it was creased and rusted.

fixitmattman · Post by **fixitmattman** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:17 pm

I have to take a good look at mine this spring. I was poking around the engine bay the other day and it looked like some of the welds may be rotting out, tough to tell though with all the snow and crap.

How much the new subframe set you back?

Post by **Diablo0** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:22 pm

Looks a lot better... before putting it in I probably would have looked around to see about getting it coated with something so it lasts longer. They seem to get nasty pretty quick since the paint that comes from the factory flakes off easily.

2k1MotorSport · Post by **2k1MotorSport** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:10 pm

well it has undercoating on it now. So it should last a good amount of time.

fixitmattman wrote:How much the new subframe set you back?

The dealer wanted $400 for a new one + $400 for labor... went to the junk yard and it cost me $50 for the sub frame and $120 for install.

Post by **occasional demons** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:25 am

Once I get my Neon rebuilt I plan to go through the front end and pulling the sub frame when doing the LCA bushings is part of the plan. Sand blast and paint is cheaper than new!

Donkeypuncher · Post by **Donkeypuncher** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:44 am

Might as well just have it powdercoated, that should last a lot longer.

nate-00neon · Post by **nate-00neon** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:47 am

is this a big problem? should most people check theirs out? or is it just something that a lot of salt causes?

Panhead · Post by **Panhead** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:55 am

its not a big problem. although, the guy who originally had the car should of replaced the k-frame. if you rinse underneath of the car regularly, its problem free. i have a couple of surface rust on the k-frame but you should be fine. not a common problem.

2k1MotorSport · Post by **2k1MotorSport** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:20 pm

Yeah... this is by no means a common problem. I don't want to make it seem that it is. But yes, they guy before me should have had it replaced.

rushtom2 · Post by **rushtom2** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:39 pm

I was under the impression that rotting sub frames were prominent in the second gen neons.. When I discovered mine there pretty much nothing left... Called around to a few salvage yards, several of the neons they had were missing the sub frames, some were rotten, and finally found one that was decent... Turns out, it wasn't decent, the salvage yard just cleaned up one of plates that was rotten, made the subframe look pretty and I didn;t even notice it.. Until I went to get it installed. I was not happy.
I ended up just getting my repaired.

Danteneon · Post by **Danteneon** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:19 am

You'll find this to be more of a problem in the salt belt states. Places that don't get as much snow, or don't throw down a ton of salt every time it flurries, won't have this problem.

FTWNeon · Post by **FTWNeon** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:28 am

I should probably do this myself. I know mine isn't looking the best.

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:42 am

I though mine looked a little crusty too when I did the LCA bushings...

ZeroChad · Post by **ZeroChad** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:11 am

Very nice. That is on my todo list, considering mine is in a far worse state than yours. How long did the install take?