Hey everyone,

I have purchased an F Type that was in an accident as a project car. This is a manual 6-speed F-Type S (hard to find) and other than accident damage is in great shape, and I am doing my best to save it and enjoy it.

I have discovered a crack in the front rail where it is bolted to the subframe. I am showing the location of the crack here:



I can find frame rail cuts on eBay, for example, this:



Cutting a section of the frame rail and welding a new piece is a very common practice in collision repair. However, aluminum is a tricky metal to work with. Has anyone tried cutting a section of F Type's frame rail and welding a new piece? I know a great aluminum welder who can weld this section, but wanted to check what your thoughts are. Since the crack is in the front, there is no need to drop the powertrain. Any input on this?

 

Not all aluminum alloys are weldable, for example 6061 and 5052 are but 2024 is not. What alloy was used for this component?

 

Just did a search. All references I found said structural elements of cars are usually made of 5000 series aluminum alloy. YMMV

 

I'll get this out of the way at the start: I'm not a welder.

I remember reading about why some of the parts are bonded and riveted instead of welded. It said the size of the pieces led to distortion as the welding progressed around the part and the temperature was uneven across it.

Have you had your welder looked at the crack himself, or just described it to him? It might be worth a small bribe to have him come look in person. Beer would be customary, but different people are susceptible to different enticements.

 

In the aviation world, we ALWAYS repair by riveting and sometimes include bonding with structural adhesives. Never by welding a structural aluminum member. Take a look at the AC-43.13 and similar FAA publications. They give guidance on how to repair structural members with no loss in strength.

I'd have no issues with a properly configured repair on an aluminum frame subsection. The picture below is simply an example, it is not a "how to" on using just one row of fasteners. As maximum structural strength will likely require at least two rows of fasteners.

 

Yes, riveting and bounding with adhesives seem to be very common in today's structural engineering, especially when aluminum is involved. Thanks for the idea.... I am seriously considering it and doing an investigation. Will report back.

 

Can you post a pic or two of what you are seeing? If nothing else, it could be interesting.