B-pilliar weld cracked....

?

  • Grind and re-weld?

    Votes: 16 66.7%

  • Seal it and roll with it.

    Votes: 1 4.2%

  • Do nothing?

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Cut the top off!

    Votes: 7 29.2%
  • Total voters
    24
KyleT

KyleT

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2007
6,059
8
39
Fort Worth, TEXAS
Well it finally happened...:banghead:

too much weight on the rack, bumpy roads, 176k or all of the above and the weld started to crack where the b-pillar meets the bottom of the drip rail. no rust as far as I can see. it hasn't cracked though, but creaks making a racket when I hit bumps.... I can see where part of it has a hairline crack... not bad, maybe 1/3 of the outfacing side. it is noticeable since I took the rack off...

whats the general consensus on repairing this?

http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/768537_1

ill try for a better one tomorrow...
 
Last edited:
KevLar

KevLar

Well-known member
Jun 4, 2007
438
0
Ottawa, Canada
KyleT said:
Well it finally happened...:banghead:

too much weight on the rack, bumpy roads, 176k or all of the above and the weld started to crack where the b-pillar meets the bottom of the drip rail. no rust as far as I can see. it hasn't cracked though, but creaks making a racket when I hit bumps.... I can see where part of it has a hairline crack... not bad, maybe 1/3 of the outfacing side. it is noticeable since I took the rack off...

whats the general consensus on repairing this?
Click to expand...

The crack will simply get worse, and worse and worse, until it finds a stress relief point, such as the edge of the piece of metal. To stop the crack from propagating, you can "stop drill" the ends of the crack, but the permanent solution is to get the crack welded.
To stop drill a crack, use a small diameter drill (depending on the size of the crack, maybe 1/8" for example) and drill a hole at the end of each crack with the crack line centered on the hole center. What this does is to prevent the crack from proceeding further by creating a distributed stress point around the edge of the drill hole, instead of a concentrated stress point or stress riser.
Over time if there's enough stress a new crack may eventually develop somewhere else in the hole, but it will slow down the propagation significantly. Make sure to use a sharp drill bit and to make as clean a hole as possible. You don't want to create new stress risers with a hole that has nicks or other sharp points in it.
Kev
 
KyleT

KyleT

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2007
6,059
8
39
Fort Worth, TEXAS
michaels said:
cut the roof off and cage it.
Click to expand...

yeah, I have my wife sold on it... but have to wait untill I graduate and buy another car.... she liked the pic of greg davis' disco.

makes me happy cause its topless, makes her happy because it doesnt cost defender$$$

still waiting for a pic, shes driving it today....
 
KevLar

KevLar

Well-known member
Jun 4, 2007
438
0
Ottawa, Canada
Looks like the upper (horizontal) part of the weld below the drip rail will be tough to repair properly as there doesn't seem to be much metal left to weld to up there. The original design is pretty poor from a structural point of view. The upside down U cutout where the pillar joins to the roof creates a huge undercut in the metal structure between the drip rail and the top of the windows. It's a huge stress riser that should have been avoided altogether, or at least the load should have been carried across the undercut with the addition of a small U shaped piece of plate welded over the pillar. If you're going to get the crack re-welded, I would suggest having a bit of plate added as a doubler and welded over the pillar once the pillar itself is re-welded so that the pillar welds are no longer trying to carry the flexing loads across the cutout. Doing both sides would be ideal as the other side will likely start to crack in exactly the same way if it already hasn't started to do so. Can't recall off the top of my head if the rear doors are the same, but if so, I'd have a look to see how the welds there are holding up.
Not sure exactly what you are proposing in terms of "triangulation", but simply carrying the load across the undercut with a small doubler plate should take care of the stress riser there.
Kev
 
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KyleT

KyleT

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2007
6,059
8
39
Fort Worth, TEXAS
Im not worried about it too much, more about rust..

it is a compression weld. it started squeeking and that annoys me without the rack on there... so putting the rack back on would stop the squeeking, ir I can grind it out and lay a bead in there. wouldnt be too bad though, have to be careful not to blow though the sheetmetal though...
 
KevLar

KevLar

Well-known member
Jun 4, 2007
438
0
Ottawa, Canada
KyleT said:
Im not worried about it too much, more about rust..

it is a compression weld. it started squeeking and that annoys me without the rack on there... so putting the rack back on would stop the squeeking, ir I can grind it out and lay a bead in there. wouldnt be too bad though, have to be careful not to blow though the sheetmetal though...
Click to expand...

What do you mean by "compression weld" ? I'm not familiar with this term. Is it a local expression ?
 
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