My UK shop considers the front subframe of my 2005 (4.2na V8) beyond repair. Has anyone experience of purchasing a used one from a us dry state such as Arizona Nevada or Utah?

Will this steel item incur an import tariff I wonder?

 

In UK and EU you have a huge choice of frames, also in good condition. There are no extra clean frames anymore, they are too old, and even if you get a good one it is worth fixing it to extend its life. I replaced my front subframe two years ago, I bought it in good condition, sandblasted it, painted it with epoxy and polyurethane paint, put in new bushes, preserved it inside. The replacement is quite difficult, at the end you still have to center the frame and use new screws.

https://www.gebruiktejaguaronderdele...-voorsubframe/

 

Hi Peter, thanks for your thoughts.

Just for the record in case anyone else has the same issue I chose to buy one on Ebay from Nomaautoparts based in Texas having had previous good experience of dry state cars and parts. It was for a 4.2 supercharged model but I reasoned the block is the same as my 4.2 NA. The cost was $250 and shipping $300. It was shipped in a custom box by Fedex and arrived in 4 days which I thought stunning ( despite weighing 25Kg flown to Stansted from their US shipping depot) VAT, duty and handling was then a separate £92* or so billed by Fedex directly. Expecting it to be a bit oily and showing some signs of age I was astonished to find an effectively new item. Fully degreased and with original paint intact on all but a few edges it was all I could have hoped for and more. Sandblasting therefore seemed unnecessary but I wiped a gain rather unnecessarily firstly with ethanol and then naphtha.
Rather than repaint or powdercoat I used Rustbuster's Armaguard Epoxy Mastic on recommendation, I simply abraded the existing paint with sandpaper and brushed on. I'm delighted with the result. The paint is astonishing, curing overnight to a very good ( robust not necessarily concours) dry-to-the-touch finish and then hardening further for 4 days thereafter. My purchase of a I litre kit was ideal. I didnt bother changing the bushes as they looked fine - probably a bit stiffer than new but certainly not oil-rotted.
I'll be back to Noma replace the rear one in due course and I suspect those on my X150 too.

Peter's points above about centering and the purchase of new "one time use" stretch bolts are of course well made

*At the time of writing Trump's subsequent tariffs might have changed some of that but probably not materially.


The painted item. Note rivets on the one side not the other