This lovely Fulvia is rallied locally. It had been ‘yomped’, with consequent damage to the subframe and front outrigger

First stage was to remove the subframe and drivetrain from the car and then the drivetrain from the subframe

The nearside section of the subframe was badly bent, as you can see, but there was also extensive rust damage, whose repair is shown in a separate file

To access the outrigger we had to open up the front valance to do ‘keyhole surgery’.

This shows the damaged area straightened and cut away, ready to be rebuilt

A test-fit of the finished section shows it to be a perfect fit against the straightened and strengthened outrigger

The ‘keyhole surgery’ area butt-welded back in place

A close-up of the repaired area with the bracing jig removed and ready for paint

The engine back in place on the subframe (but please see the pictures in the ‘rust repair’ file’, as these go in sequence before this picture)

While we had the subframe out, we found some very poorly-repaired rust that was masked by the floor pan when the subframe was in the car

Peeling away the badly-welded plates, we find that this area has virtually no strength. In a Fulvia this can lead to bad front end flex, recognizable by stress cracks or dents above the front wheel arch

The affected area made good as usual with TIG welding so that it is virtually indistinguishable from the original

A bottom view of the crash repair shown in the other photo sequence

The rusted area in the paintshop ready for painting

Hanging on a paint stand ready for epoxy to go on

A close-up of the rust repair after the epoxy paint has been applied

The complete drivetrain ready to go back in the car