Cracked strut towers
Hey guys, after reading some forums and such out pure bordom i learnt the the alt wire is dodgy. So after looking at that i caught a glimpse of the strut towers.
On both sides theres slight cracks. Can i get away with doing a quick seem weld with an arc/stick welder?
I know its a crack in the first photo as passion fingers me got a small screwdriver in there then lost balance and opened it up abit more.
seems to be a common thing,i started the same thread yesterday...
Oh true, i think i might have read that, hence the reason i found it. But their not that big, 5mm if that, im replacing the struts tomorrow and if it can be done, do a seam weld top and bottom since of the size.
Invest in a strut tower brace also.
I was thinking i should, Its lucky the car is off the road for a few months, i can afford to finally buy one lol.
Which would you recommend? Im looking at whiteline now. They have 2 types. Rear mount and mid mount. But by the looks to bolt it to the strut it only uses 3 bolts, should i find one that uses all the bolts to be mounted?
The Whiteline item will be fine,I have the 3 bolt plate version on mine and is great.As to mid or rear im not sure.Id be using a gas mig aswell to do the job.
Cheers mate. I might do some research on the mid or rear braces and try and get a hole of a gas mig.
Well research has paid off. The mid mount ones are stiffer.
Only question i cant find an answer for is weather to get an adjustable one or not. Are there any advantages in getting in adjustable one?
Not a biggy being non adjustable.Adjustable allows the stiffness to be altered to one side a little more.Originally Posted by seq4x4
Yea i saw that, just unaware about if its worth the trouble having an adjustable one.
Hand over the dog bikkies
The only real difference I have seen with the adjustable strut braces is the tendency to go too tight or too loose and cause issues. Non adjustable has less fudge factor and besides I highly doubt you need adjustable on the road.
Welcome to the internet where people have opinions that you might not like
adjustable ones make no difference to the final out come, all it does is alow you to change the length of the bar because not every car is the same measurement from tower to tower, it could have been in an accident, the towers might be sagging in ect. i have a brand new fulcrum one still in the box you can have for $110.00.
I'm pretty sure there is a reason why this happens... Have seen it happen to 2 of my mates VH's, 1 SLX & 1 sl & also heard of countless people suffering from the same problem in a variety of models.. Comes down to people that have tried to do a cheap lowering job by just cutting the springs & not realising the strut needs to be a lowered strut. Otherwise if just the front springs get cut when they're loaded the strut runs out of travel therefore all the load is transfered to the strut tower itself instead of having the strut able to travel & the spring absorb the jolt of bumps etc. Pretty much is the start of the problems & what sucks is it could've genuinly been the previous owners fault.
Don't know about the legality of welding the strut towers but couldn't go past having a pro mig it up & get it certified i guess.
Blues Brother # 1
OK i just checked the VRs and its depressing, Just another F**king thing to go wrong. its only a hairline crack a few cms long. Is this just the weld glue that has cracked? and is it a real issue to worry about? can i just weld it back up? and put in a strut brace? But by the looks is only the Glue, not a crack and no light is shining through it. Think ill just get a strut brace and see how it goes from there.
Last edited by edals; 19-09-2010 at 01:56 PM.
Banned
the towers always crack lowering can even do it
a bloke i work with that is in suspension told me his brother who i have met that is a holden mech has the same prob this bloke and his brother just threw a adjustable brace on and evry month tighten it up and is slowy pushing the towers back out
all vt-vz commos should have braces when lowerd
I would be a little hesitant about just chucking a strut brace on & adjusting it to push the strut towers back out without going right over everything with a fine tooth comb. If the struts towers have moved & you just slowly push them back out i can see it causing a problem.. Grab a bit of metal & keep bending it & eventualy it stresses & cracks & breaks, metal fatigues, the stresses cause it to change composition... my mind tells me that the same thing is very possible with a strut tower. I couldn't see a "fully qualified holden Mechanic" just "chucking" a strut brace on there without checking the ridgidy of the strut towers & chassis rails etc & repairing what needs to be before putting a strut brace on.. Ofcourse the strut brace should be added once everything is in it's proper possition & alignment.
Where's that mechanic work you mentioned so i know never to take my car there.
My last post is directed @ vr1uz-fe so there's no confusion
Banned
i understand what you are saying 97vsv8 but i never said it was the right way to fix it it can be fixed but not by just welding the cracks it will cost lots to fix i was just stating a cheap fix
Personaly wouldnt think about a quick fix.. Its a SAFETY issue. I wouldn't be caught putting my passengers safety, other road users safety or my own safety at risk. People wonder why cops are hard on older modified cars.. People do dodgies, how many do they actualy see? lots i bet which in their minds makes all cars in the same catagory a target. No wonder they want old cars off the roads if people aren't prepared to repair it properly. I also understand that the costs usualy are more than the price of the car, but in the long run, you do things once, you do them properly & you know it's right & wont need to be fixed time after time which in turn will end up costing you the whole car or more in repairs than it would've to do it properly in the first place.
Banned
are you on drugs mate 25% of these cars have the same prob so why not just tell evry one with cracked strut towers you have to spend like $2000 to weld it up which dosent even bring them back to where they are meant to be grow up the strut brace increases safty as it stops the towers moving any more then they have
Real cars are steel cars.
The structure of the vehicle is weakened and will not deform in a crash as designed.
Fitting a strut brace is NOT a fix of any sort. Regardless wether they prevent the towers form moving or not.
The vehicle is unroadworthy and by law should not be driven on public roads.
If I told you I was a compulsive liar, would you believe me?
My car hasnt even been regoed yet, hearing this devastates me. :'(
VR and VS error codes:
VS V8 DTC/Error codes comprehensive list.
VS V6 DTC/Error codes comprehensive list.
on holiday
man 99% of all early girls are like this drive them hard the sealant cracks its not in any danger of giving way
I tune the oldschool way fear on the passengers face and knuckle colour cant go wrong
tabbacco is still my favorite vegetable
Blues Brother # 1
So Its just some body sealant, its not actual holding the strut towers in is that right? so at no risk it will just give way and go through your bonnet and cause a crash? just want to know since it just looks like the body sealant has slightly cracked on my VR
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