1971 Buick GS Body Repair - How To Weld in a New Core Support

Well maybe it's not sexy, but how about nonrusty? While most guys leave the unseen alone, the core support is one area that needs to be tended to. It doesn't just hold the radiator; it is also the support structure for the front of your ride. This is the part that holds the fenders square and keeps everything bolted to the frame, a pretty important job.

After decades of weather, road grime, leaky radiators, and old batteries, the core support on most musclecars has had it, and we noticed the support on our '71 Buick GS convertible looked like a Lebanese runway. GM A-bodies are home to some of the worst core support rust. The battery is located directly over the passenger-side frame mount, so when it leaks, the resulting rust kills bolts and mounting surfaces that can loosen up the front clip. Our eyes were opened when the front clip lifted off the frame during an engine pull. Closer inspection revealed the body bolts had completely melted away.

Mr. Buick of Topeka, Kansas, manufactures a few repro parts for Buicks, one of which is a core-support rebuild kit for either left- or righthand sides. Both kits include lower core and side sections as well as a new frame-bushing box. The new metal is thicker than stock, looks like factory, and comes complete with locating holes.

Each side takes about three hours to install and requires precise cutting and welding. You will also need to cut quite a few spot-welds. Check it out.

This job requires only a few basic tools and access to a welder. Since it is not technically bodywork, this is a good place for a first-timer. The finish will be under the battery and under the hood.	The patch panel is a cut-it-out and weld-it-in deal. You have to unbolt the core support and pull the entire thing out of the vehicle to do it.	Instead of messing with rusted and rounded bolts, we just ground them off with a die grinder and punched them through. This mess represents the battery tray, core support, and inner fender.
The upper panel is actually the driver-side core support. The metal with the hole in it is what is left of the area under the battery tray. The acid from the battery also took out the inner fender, but that will be replaced completely. We took out the support and pressure washed it for surgery.	The repair kits from mrbuick.com come with the side and lower support metal and a new bushing box. The box metal is twice as thick as the original and should outlast a new Toyota anything.	Using a straightedge and some chalk, Toby Ramsey of Ramsey Auto Body lined up the straightedge with the bottom of the original bushing box and marked where the old metal would be sliced off.