1987 Chrysler Le Baron frame rusting out

The Alignment consists of camber and toe adjustments only, the first steps in an alignment are to check the front end and tires also. If the K-frame is rusted, its possiblr for it to look ok and seem tight enough at the time of alignment, hold any adjustment ok, and then go down the road and in a couple of bumps the frame could let go as far as stability and strength are concerned. It is surely possible, but unlikely, and thats it.

There was a recall for this frame problem. It involved bolting on two metal braces under the k-frame. It was not to prevent it from rusting; it was to prevent the frame from separating and the axles pulling out from the transmission. It was only meant to prevent loss of control of the vehicle. They called it the "Salt Belt Kit". Why was it never done to your car? Chrysler sent out a lot of letters to owners of these vehicles. There was no charge for the modification, but they had no control over vehicles the owners didn't bring in.

Most cars up here in Wisconsin are full of rust. No one can tell when something is about to break by just looking at it. If your mechanic had warned you about the cross member, and it did NOT break, you would accuse him of trying to rip you off with unneeded repairs. To say he should have known what was going to happen in the future is just plain unfair. Mechanics are always held to much higher standards than doctors. I've never heard of someone being angry with their doctor because he didn't know they were going to get seriously sick in the future. When a problem isn't fixed properly the first time, you take the car back to the mechanic, and he gets another shot at it. Doctors just bury their mistakes.

Caradiodoc