strut tower coming apart, please help....

[turboweege]

whe i was changing my front brakes i noticed something wierd. the entire dome that is the top strut mount is welded to the rest of the car and at the base of it the weld has split and is following the weld. im scared to drive the car because i ndont know how well it will hold, nor do i know if it is fixable. can i just take it to a shop to weld a plate or something there or what. im up for any ideas. i can get pics if necessary. thanksluigi

[gumby]

is it rusted through? i unfortunately have experience in this area. it all depends on how many spot welds are still intact. scrape out the loose rust and use paint stripper to remove the undercoat and the paint along where the base of the strut tower meets the frame rail. then you'll know what youre dealing with.

posting pics would help:

http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....x.php

follow the link click upload. after its uploaded open the image, click on it to enlarge it, then right click for properties. copy the url addess. post a reply click the IMG button and paste the text in there.

if its totally separated your car wont hold an alignment very well. drive it carefully. If most of the spot weld are in place a pro might be able to plate it.

heres my nightmare its intact except for 1 spot weld up front

http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....l.jpg

$100 quick fix. $200 pro

if you want email me the pics [email protected]

[turboweege]

it is not rusted one bit, the actual weld is splitting and i just had it align a month ago all in spec. it is split right along the bottom and is coming up like a "u" just like in your pic. ill take some pics and youll see. i would just have to have a plate welded in? any special type of welding for this material?

[turboweege]

man, its worse than i thought. i guess i didnt have very good lighting in the garage but it looks horrible outside. i uploaded 3 pics. 2 from in the well and one from under the hood. it is definately rusting, but from the inside. i dont know if it can be fixed. files are strut tower1,2,3. http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....x.phpluigi

[gumby]

it looks more like it completely stress fractured than simply rotted through. your car wont hold an alignment like that. not acceptable at highway speeds. not worth getting into a collision. id get a couple pro autobody opinions but just judging from the top of that strut tower id have to say its not worth fixing. its always worse than it looks and probly already in other places you cant see. there might be enough metal to weld but with that sort of damage on such thin sheet metal id be careful about who you pay to fix it. it'll be in the thousands to do it right. sorry man i feel your pain i went through the same thing.



i chiseled away at that for curiousities sake and it opened up like the grand canyon

start looking for another car. sell it off as a parts car. if you have to drive it be careful. maybe slap a $25 strut tower brace on it for temporary support. if a guy can slop weld it for like $100 to hold you over for awhile might be a little safer but plan on getting rid of it eventually. dont dump money into it. without those spot welds in place the structural interity is gone it will not hold up in a collsion and will only deteriorate. although im sure itll get through state inspection

:pface

[turboweege]

well when i took it in the guy stripped everything off and welded the crack at the top and put in a big steel plate and it welded in good. and it held an alignment a month before i saw this and i think its been there longer than that. mig welded, looks better than new. ill keep an eye on it and if i see anything suspicious ill look for another daily driver.luigi

[gumby]

glad to hear it was fixable. hope it holds up well. how much did it end up costing?