Hi all, my 97 LSE came with the brush guard which I would love to keep because of the looks and because it came with the somewhat uncommon LSE. But of course it’s rusted, and from the inside which I understand is common. I’ll try to attach images but I was wondering if anyone knows it this is repairable? I understand it’s functionally useless and possibly worse that NOT having it but the heart wants what the heart wants

if I could have it welded and treated (inside and out I guess) for the cost of a 2nd hand one, maybe $400, it might be worth it to me. Is that even in the realm of possibility or does it go to the dump?

 

Sure.
Just figure out the diameter of the pipe, source a new pipe the appropriate OD and whatever other pieces you need (Amazon/ebay, Home Depot, etc). Cut out the old and weld in the new. Repair one segment at a time ...don't cut them all at one time and expect them to line up perfectly. You might be able to use EMT Conduit or even Water pipe. Or buy the right diameter off ebay/Amazon if it's metric. If the gauge is a little heavier on the new pipe, it won't be a problem. If you don't have a wire feed welder, not might be the time to go buy one. What's the other side look like?

Can you post a couple more pictures? The angle isn't very good.

 

If you have to pay someone to repair it, then you may want to keep checking craigslist/marketplace, etc.

 

Also, If all you have is an oxy-acetylene torch, you could definitely weld it with that too. Good practice for getting good gas welds.

 

I'll get some better pics tomorrow.

Hadn't thought that _I_ could weld it but sure, why not? Except that it looks like not a simple job and I have very little experience and no welder. But if I could invest $200 and get what I need, I'd give it a try. What would concern my is the bend at the top and the intersection of the horizontal and vertical bars at the bottom. And how clean do I need to get the metal? Seems like the whole thing is pretty corroded. Will a weld work on that?

 

You need to clean the rust off the areas you want to weld. Try to preserve as much of what's there (and not rotted out) as you can. Surface rust isn't a big issue. You can use a flappy sanding wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder to clean off the surface rust. If you don't have a 4 1/2" grinder, now's the time to buy one. Very handy tool for this job. Get a couple cutting discs and grinding wheels, and a sanding disc.

The more of the existing material you can keep the easier it will be. I think what I'd do on that bend is, first get a long enough new piece you can experiment with bends ...and throw away whatever bends don't turn out. Then evaluate how solid the bend (and other areas) are. What's the diameter of that pipe by the bend? If it's like 1" OD, you could probably bend a short section of emt conduit in a tight radius conduit bender ...and just use part of the new bend that suits, match it up. Like I say, most of that bend seems faiirly solid. If you had the right bending unit you could bend up a whole new radius too. But if the radius is still good, just piece a new section in there as close to the bottom of the bend as you can.

You could also heat up a piece of pipe cherry red and attempt to bend it too (put some segments inside so it doesn't 'kink'). You might be able to do that with a propane torch and MAPP gas. Not sure. I usually use an oxy-acetylene torch. You could cut 'slices' in a pipe then make bends that way. There's a lot of ideas how to make that radius bend. You might want to watch some metal bending/radiusing videos. There are benders, etc that are available or from Harbor Freight. Since it doesn't sound like you do this much, you might ask around, if any of your buddy's know of a place in your area that does custom sheet metal work, street rods, or roll cages, etc they'd for sure have a bender. Ask some body shops. Eventually someone will point you to a place. You could just walk in with your new material and grill guard in your truck (wear your dirty work clothes so you look like 'them') ..and they'd probably make the bend for you right there while you wait (for not much). I love to fab stuff up and fix things like that. It's very satisfying when you have a good job done! Give us more info and dimensions. Gauge thickness (i.e. 16 ga, etc)

 

Burnt toast. Toss it and make a new one or find a a used one.

 

they are hard to find - if just these small sections - cut and weld new tubes

 

The sections you can see are most likely the tip of the iceberg. Chances are the rest is just as bad or worse. Mine was similar and i found the paint was all that was holding it together. Start looking for a replacement , you might find one down south where the rust doesn't consume everything or one that was stored off the vehicle.

I too like the looks and understand they are nicknamed "Damage Multiplier" as they increase the damage in a collision. But they look nice. Factory painted the outside and didn't bother with the inside of the tubes. The uprights would get mud stuck in the bottom and then fill with water. With nowhere to go, it rusted the tubes. If you find a good one, try to get some rust protection inside and clean out the uprights after off roading. in the mud/water

 

Mine is covered in a thick plastic skin, not paint (paint would have been better). That's a problem because any scratch lets water in and underneath the skin with no way to dry out, so it just rusts away. You may see a ruffled up surface where the rust is forming under the skin. So I chose to remove as much of the skin as easily peeled off to allow the steel to breath and dry out. Rub a little oil on it and you can hardly see the difference. Maybe WD-40 or alcohol would displace the moisture. Same goes for the axles.