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VT500 Frame Rust - Worth Saving?

431 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  h13man, 
sumner_nick
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Hey team,

I dropped the engine on my 1983 VT500C Shadow in preparation for a swap and getting the frame powdercoated. I noticed a pretty big rust hole just below the rear swing arm pivot (not sure how i didn't notice earlier) and started chipping away at it, and turns out it goes all the way through the frame, and it seems like there is more rust on the inside of the frame.

I'm linking a video of the problem area, and ill attatch a few screenshots. Let me know what you guys think is the best course of action. Should I cut out the rot and weld in a patch, is it too much rot that I should scrap the frame? Cheers

Nick

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Ramie
If that's the Only rust on the frame you should be be able to clean it up good and weld a plate on each side. If it's too far into the edge then it might be a problem.
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Absolem Jackdaw
Nasty!
If you know a good welder I would'nt fret. looks repairable.
I'm more inclined to make you look for more rust spots and clean them first to make sure your frame hasnt been compromised in more then one spot, or like heavily heavily pitted.
That hole has been there for a while for the rust to get that far trough.
Inspect your entire frame thoroughly, preferably with some sanding paper or scotchbrite to remove rust to see clearly
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sumner_nick
Ramie said:
If that's the Only rust on the frame you should be be able to clean it up good and weld a plate on each side. If it's too far into the edge then it might be a problem.
Click to expand...
Yeah i'm mostly worried about the extent of the damage. Any tips on how to deal with rust on the inside of the frame?
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sumner_nick
Absolem Jackdaw said:
Nasty!
If you know a good welder I would'nt fret. looks repairable.
I'm more inclined to make you look for more rust spots and clean them first to make sure your frame hasnt been compromised in more then one spot, or like heavily heavily pitted.
That hole has been there for a while for the rust to get that far trough.
Inspect your entire frame thoroughly, preferably with some sanding paper or scotchbrite to remove rust to see clearly
Click to expand...
I wish I was the good welder, but I'm sure I can find somebody for the job. I'll do a thorough search ro figure out how far its gone. What's would be the plan if the rust seems to be throughout the inside of the frame?

My plan right now is to use paint stripper, sand papers, and wire brush/wheels to get the frame down to bare metal, hopefully that will tell me what I need to know about the extent of the rust.
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Absolem Jackdaw
If there's too much rust / more i'd go find another frame...After that you are stuck with how to handle the new frame. You get it with papers, or get a clean frame and get your vin plate of (if it isnt stamped in) to switch it.
But that's for later. Wire brush and sandpaper sounds like a good start. Paint stripper sounds like overkill ? if the frame is rusted trough ,the paint will drop off. start with the spots where the rust comes trough the paint. Good luck ! Eager to see the report on the rest of the frame
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crazyoldman
HI, me personally. I'd replace it. Living in Ohio all my life I found once you see rot through best to just replace it all . But welding might be a temp fix. Sorry old mans opinion. 83 Honda VT500 VT 500 C Shadow Frame Chassis | eBay
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Absolem Jackdaw
crazyoldman said:
HI, me personally. I'd replace it. Living in Ohio all my life I found once you see rot through best to just replace it all . But welding might be a temp fix. Sorry old mans opinion.
Click to expand...
Welders do tend to be expensive. Depending of the scale of how much you can DIY: fix is on one end, trash on the other.
I have a friend that works in metal and is a decent welder in training. If i'd took my rusted frame to her, it would be for a first opinion, and then to let her try a fix with option B still trashing the frame if the fix fails.
if you have to pay a welder to do that, its going to be an expensive option B ...
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sumner_nick
crazyoldman said:
HI, me personally. I'd replace it. Living in Ohio all my life I found once you see rot through best to just replace it all . But welding might be a temp fix. Sorry old mans opinion. 83 Honda VT500 VT 500 C Shadow Frame Chassis | eBay
Click to expand...
Hey happy to have every opinion! I think you are probably right. What I would spend to diagnose/repair the frame, for a likely temporary fix, might make more sense to find a rust free frame and go from there.
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crazyoldman
Me again ,Idea , Check around you ,Post your location . I bet somebody got a used frame with your name on it . Or post it .Someone will help you.
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sumner_nick
Absolem Jackdaw said:
Welders do tend to be expensive. Depending of the scale of how much you can DIY: fix is on one end, trash on the other.
I have a friend that works in metal and is a decent welder in training. If i'd took my rusted frame to her, it would be for a first opinion, and then to let her try a fix with option B still trashing the frame if the fix fails.
if you have to pay a welder to do that, its going to be an expensive option B ...
Click to expand...
I'll still dig into the existing frame to see what I have to work with, but you're totally right. It might even be cheaper at the end of the day to buy a new frame instead of paying for a welder.

There is actually a fair bit of surface rust over the rest of the frame, so I will get to sanding those sections and see what I see. Thanks for the tips, I'll post pictures later of the progress.
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vito
sumner_nick said:
Yeah i'm mostly worried about the extent of the damage. Any tips on how to deal with rust on the inside of the frame?
Click to expand...
That rusty in one spot with other surface rust, AND you are wondering about the extent of the rust damage...you also have to wonder about any bushings, nuts, bolts, steering head. The list goes on. Sometimes it's better to pay more up front than to do continuous repairs as you find more and more issues. Or find out how bad it really is at 60 mph on some back road.
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h13man
That being rusted thru that bad at a critical part of the frame, I'd say no. As for welding this, it will probably will literally have a meltdown because of the rust infestation. This is a job for a expert TIG welder only.
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