So I hit a deer this Christmas eve. Little d**k dove right trough my grill on my 9th gen civic coupe. Well since I haven't upgraded my insurance yet I'm stuck fixing it myself. The biggest obstacle my radiator support. It was already salvaged once before i bought the car and now there are a few cracks and the the top bars are completely bent. I've found a new support for a good price but how does one go about replacing it? Because it is spot welded in various places but what all would I need to remove to be able to get this thing off. Any advice would be helpful

 

welcome to the forum. if you can find a way to cut out the most straight parts and trim the new one to fit, you can get a piece of straight metal to overlap both old and new and bolt it togeather like sandwich repair. or if you can find a portable welder, he will be able to trim the old out and new in. or get a salvaged part complete and replace the whole front area.

 

@acmech52 do you think I would be able to do either of those methods without removing the engine? It's really just the radiator support and everything that was in front of it. The radiator and fans are still in working order, i just want to replace it so that the headlights and bumper align correctly. The civic radiator supports doesn't look to be welded on as much as other vehicles, just bolts and spot welds in certain places

 

when i had my 02 civic radiator core replaced due to clogging, i took out my radiator and all the junk around it and it seemed to me an easy to get to the radiator support without touching the engine. looked to me to have a lot of room to replace the radiator support. Happy New Year.

 

yeah, I've got everything off now and it looks like there is plenty of room. I guess I'm just nervous to weld with the engine present. Would it be safe to drill and bolt everything without any welds after i grind off the old one? and Happy New Year

 

welding is the strongest way to go, but if you're not a good welder, bolt and nuts are the next best. if using bolt and nuts, see if you can get a metal sealer to go between the overlaps for added strength. i know how to rivet, so i would rivet my splice in if i could not have it welded. sometimes there are welders that travel to come weld that portion in for you, but does cost some.

 

I have a similar issue with my 2011 CRV.
It is in good shape at 101K. I saw a leak at the bottom of the radiator and brought it to my independent Honda guy.
He showed me the radiator support - it is corroded and completely useless
He sent me across the street to an auto body guy who is doing a diagnosis.

Darn, I have welding class on my 2020 plan; this could get expensive.

Neil