unibody welding

[joerifto]

anybody ever had to do any welding to the unibody

[bendychicken]

I'm about to repair my 93 coupe. the right side was hit by and orange tree(civil charges currnetly pending on the orange tree's part:pface ) if there is dammage to the frame or a multiple layered area of the uni-body I DO NOT recomend doing it your self. It will be vary involved. some pannels can be removed by drilling out the spot welds that hold them on. Example: the exterior panels that are under the doors. Then you just spot weld the new panel on. Sounds easy huh? It's not. Also welding sheet metal is not for beginers. If you use to much heat you will melt right threw it. Too little heat and you don't get a firm weld, which will be critical if that panel pays a major structural part in the uni-body as a whole. All panels play some role in the complete structural integrity of the uni-body as a whole. Just some more than others. The chasis cannot have any kind of strain on it while the work is done as it will shift and deform and when the load is released strain will be put on the repaired area and change the way that panel lends it's hand at keeping the chassis rigid or deforms under stress. Read as: your car will not handle well.

I'm am in no way a proffesional, so take this with a grain of salt. Unless your experianced and it's a minor job I wouldn't do it.

[ShadowKnight006]

I am about to have the "frame", or what ever you want to call the square tubing look pieces under the floorboards, patched by a friend that is good with a welder. I trust him and it doesn't look like a major thing, I'll let you know when its done. Could you define what part of the unibody you mean, I have heard what I am having fixed called the unibody as well as the quater/rockers/apillar/roof piece.

[BodylinesDrftS13]

hey i'm wondering if the front of the car is unibody or not? i need to get my front end fixed and i dont think it will pull 100% straight. and ive got a few stress crack from the previous owners wreck...wondering if i can cut the front end off just before firewall..buy a sivlvia front clip and weld it together? would be doing it the same way all domestic owners do...fyi not an idiot and would be using correct tools. would this be unsafe or is it ok?

[j-z]

the whole car is a unibody design. no full frame and a body mounted on top of it, just a bunch of sheet metal welded together. thats why unibody cars are such a ***** to fix when involved in major collisions. its like one big ****ing metal puzzle.

[C-Kwik]

I am about to have the "frame", or what ever you want to call the square tubing look pieces under the floorboards, patched by a friend that is good with a welder. I trust him and it doesn't look like a major thing, I'll let you know when its done. Could you define what part of the unibody you mean, I have heard what I am having fixed called the unibody as well as the quater/rockers/apillar/roof piece.

For what purpose are they being welded. If any part of the unibody is bent, it needs to be straightened. Patching a bent piece will end up in having a body that is not straight. The frame is generally the first thing that needs to be repaired on any car.

[C-Kwik]

the whole car is a unibody design. no full frame and a body mounted on top of it, just a bunch of sheet metal welded together. thats why unibody cars are such a ***** to fix when involved in major collisions. its like one big ****ing metal puzzle.

It can be a pain. But in some cases a frame pull can undo a large portion of damage. It still may require some manipulation and light body work though. When sheet metal buckles because a frame is bent is a typical case where this occurs. Depends on the extent.

And Unibody frames have a big safety advantage pound for pound. They distribute impact energy throught the body along mulitple paths. It's not uncommon to see frame damage in the rear of a car in a major frontal impact. A body on frame only distributes impact energy through the frame itself. And these tend to be fairly rigid so the impact energy usually stays localized to the area of the impact. In heavier impacts, this could result in the passenger area being compromised more than it would in a unibody frame. Though body on frames are usually more typical of SUV's and trucks which tend to have more weight and sit higher than passenger cars. So they tend to be safer from that standpoint, but pound for pound are not as safe as a unibody car(generally).

[j-z]

yes, i know exactly what youre talking about. ive done it for years. although you do have to pull your damage first, when most unibody cars are involved in major collisions most pieces have to be replaced, and replacing those pieces is one big PITA.