jfhbird
I had your problem in spades with my 57. Could put your fist inside the rot holes by the front spring perches ahead of the rear wheels. This apparently is quite common in our little birds that have been subject to the elements over time. (Tom D - can you spell road salt?)
The body has to come off to repair. Hopefully that is in your plans - it was NOT in mine but that's the way it goes.
Repaired with a MIG welder and the same guage sheetmetal used originally (can't remember the exact guage at this point)and put in internal gusset plates (cross braces)every 18" while the box frame was cut open to strengthen everything up. Once the welds were ground down and the frame repainted - it is difficult to find the repaired sections.
The box frame apparently rusts from the inside out because metal flakes fall inside the box and holds moisture at the bottom to manifest the rusting process. While you have the frame cut open blow and flush all the crap that has accumulated over time - dirty job - but worth it. I chose to dump in a quart of Pour 15 inside the box and slosh it around for some added protection before things got sealed back up.
Also a good idea to drill 1/8 inch holes every 24 inches or so up and down the frame rails to check the thickness of the metal for additional thin spots that may not be visible otherwise. These holes can be spotted and ground later in the finishing process.
I have some pretty detailed pictures of the process if you are interested. Hopefully I have made some sense in the description above.
Tom R
57 Dusk Rose
CTCI #33126
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