idosubaru Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Looking to pull a front radiator support on an 03 Legacy. Removing the fender bolts and light assemblies and all I can handle. Looks like they are welded in place at the fenders, so just cut there. I'd like to get the lower light bracket/assembly on the passengers side too. Just start cutting - that stuff is all welded in place right? Any tips to cutting this out, where, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 drilling out spotwelds. The rad core support is the same stamping as the whole front that contains the headlight buckets. There are spotwelds at the hood support bumpers, down along the front and around the box framerails. I changed the whole front core support and a crumple zone on an 86 hatch this way. Legacy should be similar enough. 3/8" drill bit and a cold chisel will do the job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 thanks miles! nice. seems just like you said - doesn't appear at first glance much different than older models, XT6, etc in principle. what size drill bit - 1/2"? will it look obvious where i should drill - for instance the top support where it meets the front of the fender appears too large to just drill out....so....? spot welds at front fenders obviously: roughly how many other spot welds would you anticipate and do you recall any locations? does the bumper need to be removed, seems like it would? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Pull the bumper, headlights, radiator, and front fenders, and splash guards.. 3/8" bit should do it for the most part. use the chisel to separate the stampings, and the rest will reveal itself. you may have to cut here and there, but you should see where you can tie pieces together with odd bits of metal or some clever welding. you can go to town on the donor car and just cut out around the bulk of the part, and then fish out the spot welds. By the time you are done with that, you will know where all the spot welds are on the receiving car. dont forget to pull any harnesses away where they are hiding between the stampings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 great, this is huge. tomorrow will have very limited time and only the tools i can carry in with no power available. $20, the right color and most importantly it's really close to my parents house. i'll never get this chance again within hours of my place. hoping i can figure it all out on the spot, thanks miles! i'll try and take a hack saw too and just cut whatever looks easy. are the top and rear radiator supports connected then? so it's all one piece up front - just tied together on the passengers and drivers side frame rails or whatever those are called? and for instance - the top cross piece that the headlights hang from - do you drill straight through it - down towards the ground? or are you drilling around the edge of it to break the welding bead? i guess it's just welded around the edges not from underneath so to speak? so a few small holes around it instead of one big hole through it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 (edited) Go and buy a spot-weld drill. Then you center-punch the welds and it's got a spring loaded centering pin and a tiny little hole-saw on it..... Harbor Freight has them for like $4. *edit* Ok - no power tools......... hacksaw - one with a bow and another "keyhole" style. NEW blades. If you could get ahold of a cordless drill and a spot-weld cutter....... much easier. Otherwise a cordless sawzall and just lop the whole front off right in front of the strut towers. That's typically what I do at yards. GD Edited November 25, 2010 by GeneralDisorder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 unfortunately GD time and holidays are against me. sounds like i can pull this off though with minimal tools. my friends 18V dewalt sawzall doesn't have working batteries. GRRRRR!!!!! that probably would have made it quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 I usually cut the whole thing off with a battery powered sawzall and drill the spotwelds at home. See if the yard will torch it off for you in front of the shock towers for extra money. Some of the ones here will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 I usually cut the whole thing off with a battery powered sawzall and drill the spotwelds at home. See if the yard will torch it off for you in front of the shock towers for extra money. Some of the ones here will. that's a good point s360 - they probably would bail me out for a few bucks if i get stuck but have everything prepped for a quick cut. is a hand hacksaw pointless? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 that's a good point s360 - they probably would bail me out for a few bucks if i get stuck but have everything prepped for a quick cut. is a hand hacksaw pointless? You won't cut the framerails with a hand saw without your arm falling off. You really want to cut the rail since the support is spot welded to the end of it. Around here you can pull all the sheetmetal off, get everything flammable out of the way and they will torch it off in front of the shock towers for $10-20. I used to pay to have that done before I invested in an 18 cordless sawzall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 You won't cut the framerails with a hand saw without your arm falling off. thanks, i'm good at wasting time! sounds like i got enough ideas of how this goes to get something to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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