frame/seam WELDING HELP

[crazedfiber]

well i am part way thru my long journey on my drift project. i have the car stripped down as much as possible. sound deadener is gone along with all interior. i have my SR sitting out of its home and ready to get a new headgasket. put to the point...i am ready to stiffen up my chassis, i was wondering if any of you have done this to your cars? apexi's rx7 they said they drilled a whole inbetween every stock spot weld and then welded the two pieces together and grinded it back down flush. other ppl i have seen spot weld certain areas(im not sure where they spot weld) then there are some the sticth weld the seams up? can anybody tell me where all i need to weld and why? i also heard about foam in your door rocker panerls to stiffen the chassis. PLEASE help!!! thanks!

[jstyle180]

Or you could always use aluminum rivets!!!
That's what im doing.

Start by removing the plastic strip around the body( doors)
you'll see where the 2 pieces of metal meet, there's gaps ,
start there.
Use some pliers to bring the metal together , then use rivets.

If you are worried about rust , put some sort of sealer( silicone) on the ends of the rivets before you put them in.

Hope this helps.

[Flybert]

Put foil on the seams and go for a spirited drive. See where the foil crinkles and you'll know where you need to seam weld. Just remember that if you ever get in an accident in your car, it won't crumple down the way it's supposed to and you have a higher chance of getting injured.

[DS 240R]

Yeah, that and it will be a lot harder to repair if you have damage. You might just want to tack the seams or spot weld instead of running a bead down the whole seam.

Do you have a roll cage yet?

[blu808]

The proper way to seam weld a chassie is to drill a hole in the top layer sheet metal between the stock spot welds. dont drill through both layers. Then use a mig welder, or arc welder if you are good enough not to blow through the metal. And fill the new holes. Drill at least a 1/4" hole. Do this everywhere you can. Also eventhough some people do stich weld it is not as efective and just adds weight. Spot welds are the way to go. I know all this from being the production manager of MBO's speedvision SCCA world challenge cars. I have built a few cars for them and thats how its done. Hope this helps.

Also rivits wont work. Sorry. but they will just become loose and start rattling. If they dont become loose then they werent doing anything anyway.

Luke