Not having a good day....advice needed.

That's third world ugly... and it'll probably work.

But... I think we can do better.

Carefully cut those welds and remove all that rebar from your subframe. Someone in Atlanta please help this girl find some suitable -tubing- that will fit the ID of her subframe.

We can't let you do this all half-assed.

That using what you have in hand! Go to the local welding shop. Take the subfame with you. They will find something for you.

I like it



It looks like mice nibbled your joints

Thanks Stage, I like it too!!! I'm not kidding when I say I'm flat broke. I don't have 10 bucks to even go to the scrapyard and pick anything up. I used what I had and if I break it again....it'll be easier to fix!

About to go meet a guy that has a set dressing co. There are so many movies and shows being filmed in Atlanta right now, I think I could actually have a real job. I'm just sad since I may have to shut my wood floor business down...

I'm going to leave it for now, unless by some miracle I stumble across some nice steel.

Jenna, you need to drill some holes in the original tubing and then weld the holes up. What you are trying to do is tie the rbar ( Tubing would be better) to the frame and not just where it's been cut and welded. As that may fail.






Also no sharp inside corners, they need to be radiused.


BTW- I feel for you on work. It's hard to walk away from something you like doing, but if the money isn't there. It's time to move on. Contract work just gives you little bits of money every now and then, just teasing you along. Besides being self employed, no benefits, no real insurance and no retirement!!!! Plus that kind of work takes it's toll on your body so how will you body handle it when your 60??? Might be different if there was money in it, but just not enough.

Jenna - as OLH already said - drill some holes through the rebar and weld them up. The reason is that tubing is weakened when welding circumferentially, in which case it's likely to break there again. The real strength is in the inner tubing (in your case, rebar) and tying the two together. The drilled holes, then welded, will accomplish that.

Good luck getting some good paying work! I certainly can understand where you're coming from!

when welding the rebar, turn up the heat all the way!!! Make sure to clean up to bare metal, strip the complete area where welding.


Don't drill through the rebar!!! Just the outer tubing, a decent size hole too.

Should it be done on both sides? Or can I just keep it on the inside so no one else will laugh at me?

As far as the radius comment, where you've photoshopped yellow in is where I should make gussets? Just wondering why bmw didn't do it in front of the down tube on the subframe that you have marked?

I doubt a few bumps from welding on the outside will be the major aesthetic draw when looking at your subframe.

fer instance - that rebar brace kinda stands right out there!

Yeah, do it on both sides! If it's too ugly for you, file it smooth and it'll be unnoticeable once black.

I'd drill 8 holes for each strip of rebar, dress the plugs down with a grinder then a flap disc and no one will ever see the repair!


Weld both sides of the gussets, not sure if the extra front ones need to be as big as pictured. Double check how the Ohlins fits make sure your not interfering with anything. Plus the extra gusset on the left might interfere with the grab handle.


This is what I would do if it were mine, of course some more experienced guys might chime in.

To bad your not in BG, it'd be fun to fix that thing.

^What he said^ In mocking up my subframe reinforcements I had to do a slight S-bend to get around my Ohlins, it is hard to see in the picture as actual bends are pretty much in line with the camera angle, but a straight line would have rubbed on the spring. There is a slight bend just after it passes the spring, and then another one back the other way as it passes the pannier frame.



I can't remember what exhaust you have, but if you do the other side, that too will probably require a bit of checking. Mine needs a severe bend


I'm sorry to hear about the work and money situation. I've been there. A lot of you guys and girls seem to be doing it a bit tough over there at the moment.
For the time being I'm kinda trapped in a trade job that I am not happy with, and which has nothing to do with what I have spent the last 8 years studying, but now that I am not studying full time anymore, at least I can work full time and it pays the bills with enough left over to play.
Good luck with it all.

Worked on the subframe a bit today, and per your request I've removed the rebar and got a piece of round stock. Just made 2 gussets, 4 to go. No pics and I still have to weld the plug holes.

Jenna,
Round stock and tubing aren't the same thing, but you knew that, right?
Don't mean to tell you what to do, but round stock won't work to strengthen the frame the way tubing will.

Is there any way you can get some free tubing?

Old junk bicycle seat and chain stays (the tubes forming the triangle holding a bicycle's rear wheel), etc?

Care to explain?

It is tubing. I call it round stock cause that's what my welder friend calls it. probably a regional thing. dontcha know I'm in the south and we like to make words up. ie: Jeet? Translation: Did you eat?

I mean, what's the functional difference between using round stock and round tubing on a subframe-type repair?

Go find a 12" piece of mild steel round stock small enough to fit the internal diameter of an airhead's sub-frame and try to bend it.

Now go find a similar sized piece of tubing from, say, an old junk bicycle's chain or seat stay and try to bend that.

Different shaped pieces of similar materials have differing inherant strengths.

Got'cha.



We noticed rtwdoug sort of spoke his own language when he was here.
Some of it even sounded vaguely english.

Dang, I need to check ADV more! Why didn't you call me? Heck, I've got a pile of steel up here. I ought to have something you could use.