I just noticed this today. I had the car safetied this year and the only thing they could find was my seatbelts were fuzzy so they were "unsafe"

On this note, I just noticed this under the car today, it's under the driver's side under the drivers door. Is my car still safe to drive? It looks like it's a pretty structural part.

Wow, first thing you should do is clean that salt off.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

We have a couple inches of snow on the ground right now, I just cleaned my car yesterday.

Is that the rocker or subframe box? Looks like it's time to buy a welder.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

That was my second thought. It looks like its on the frame by the photo. You might still be OK but you should look to patching that for now. It looks like it could funnel more moisture into your car.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

As soon as I can turn the hoses back on I will clean everything up and try and weld something in place there. As for the location I don't know the name but it's where the frame (I think) meets up with the rocker panels at an angle.

That seems to be a key structural area, so be sure to fix it ASAP by welding.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

If you start having trouble with the bottom of your door binding on the sill when jacking the car you'll know it's structural.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

You have to probe around to find how far away it is to good solid metal. You cannot weld on top of rust. You may have extensive corrosion as it does not look too promising just ahead of that hole. I hope its not the undercoating basically just holding everything together in the area..

To me that looks like the Unibody rail, Probably caused by someone jacking up the car in the wrong spot, causing a kink in the metal and causeing water to pool and rust.

As a fellow canadian who knows what we have to go through with rust cars, I feel your pain.

It does not look good, but the car can be saved for a few years, but generally speaking rust like that is terminal. But you can have a few good years, then you have a good parts car for a southern body.

Several of my cars are now southern cars because i got tired of having to weld up areas like that. My very first benz 83 300SD was like that and to far gone to save so i just swapped the motor and trans into a 85 SEL,

If you can weld, you can save it for a while, if not, and you dont have a friend who can do it, you might be in trouble, because lots off shops around here wont attempt to weld unibody frames like that.

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1984 Euro 300SDC, (4spd standard)
1986 Toyota Landcruiser Diesel HJ60 5spd X2

Gone but not forgotten (some sold, some stripped)
1983 300 SD, 1985 300 SD, 1983 240D, 1986 300 SDL, 1985 300 SDL, 1983 300 D, 1984 300 D, 1985 300SD, 1987 300 SDL, 1983 300 SD, 1985 300 TD Euro, 1983 380SEC, 1990 300 D, 1987 300D, 1982 300D, 1982 300D, 1994 E420, 1987 300 TD, 1987 300 D, 1984 300 D