Fox What Do Bad Torque Boxes Look Like?

[okto]

Looking to buy my first Foxbody, and I've read a ton about what to look for when buying one, but:

I know to check torque boxes and pillars but never having looked at a known-good Fox, what do bowed pillars and ruined torque boxes look like? One of the cars I'm looking at doesn't have subframe connectors, so I want to be as sure as I can.

Will it be super obvious if they're bad? My daily is a W124 Mercedes, so nothing under this car looks like what I'm used to.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Looking to buy my first Foxbody, and I've read a ton about what to look for when buying one, but:

I know to check torque boxes and pillars but never having looked at a known-good Fox, what do bowed pillars and ruined torque boxes look like? One of the cars I'm looking at doesn't have subframe connectors, so I want to be as sure as I can.

Will it be super obvious if they're bad? My daily is a W124 Mercedes, so nothing under this car looks like what I'm used to.

You'll have to know what you're looking for.
Unfortunately, unless it's really extreme you won't/can't see the start of the problem w/o the rear seat removed, and the carpet moved out of the way.
They usually start w/ a stress crack in the floor. Eventually if it gets bad enough,....the entire rear end will shift sideways, as a result of the misalignment.

There are hundreds of pics out there though ( I just googled torn torque box pic in a fox mustang) and there are entire threads dedicated to the end result.

** There @Noobz347 , that's two "helpful" replies in a row.

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

As far as bad torque boxes go I'm with madmike, just google search it. Typically the car is pretty low to the ground and they can be hard to see so I'd bring a jack and lift the car up to check'em out. As far as A piller goes, check body lines to see if they're close to being lined up (80's weren't great to begin with). If there are some bad gaps or the doors don't like to close then then could be a sign. Also between the quarter window and the back glass look for ripples in that pillar too.

Open hood and inspect core support (upper and lower) for front collision damage.

 

[84Ttop]

Don't forget to look for rotted strut towers too!

 

[okto]

Yep, checked strut towers for sure. No rust, although the strut mounts are in bad need of replacement.

Pillars have maybe 1/10" of irregularity at most and no crumpling that I can see, I'm gonna call them straight.

 

[okto]

Another question: Should I consider torque boxes a dealkiller if the car tracks straight under acceleration? I have a MIG welder and about five years' welding experience, so adding gussets/braces to the torque box isn't that big of a deal. I just need to know if it's a 'once it starts the car is doomed' situation or just a thing that needs to be attended to.

This is going to be a fun road/very occasional track car. It's never going to need to handle 400 HP, I just don't want to invest in a problem.

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

Some people have fixed torque boxes but you have to make sure you do it right. May hurt resale value to other people who would consider it a deal breaker like me.

 

[mikestang63]

Generally ripped torque boxes are associated with aggressive driving. If they are just starting to tear, then you can repair them by welding and some battle boxes. If they are badly torn, then you are looking at some major surgery.

 

[okto]

This car somehow doesn't look like it was driven that hard. Everything under the hood is stock save for chrome valve covers. Doesn't even have fancy plug wires.

Anyway as they say the proof is in the pudding, and I'll reserve judgment (and my dollars!) until I get the rear end off the ground and get a good look at the torque boxes.