View Full Version : Do i really need seam welding?
I was speaking to someone today and they said as long as you got a strut brace you dont need to seam weld the engine bay. Oh it for and redtop is this true
I doubt you could get away with just a strut brace, the C20XE/C20LET engine weighs a lot more than a 1.6 and will place the engine bay under a lot of stress during heavy acceleration/braking/cornering etc. This will weaken and tear the seams, especially if they are slightly rusty. I'm sure a strut brace will help but its not a stand alone solution otherwise all the people on here wouldn't have spent hours welding their engine bays.
not vital, but its a nice "free" chassis mod
I would say 80% of the time it is vital.. dont listen to homo-stu.:)
Most novas are full of rot at the best of times, so unless its a real minter I would weld it as a precaution!
TommySR
14-06-06, 09:37 AM
definately weld mate, no point in spending time and effort and money fitting your engine to have it rip your shell to pieces is there?
^^ agreed with TommySR. An mildly tuned SR can destroy a slightly rotten engine bay, let alone an XE or LET.
A strut brace in no way shape or form would be suffice strenghthening for a a non standard engine size being put into a nova. i.e. an XE or LET conversion!
Thanks for the help guys. My mate is coming round next week to do it as from what you lot have said id better as im putting tbs on it.
Phil GTE
18-06-06, 12:34 AM
Like Will says, it would have to be aminta not to weld - but if its mint, why skimp on the welding?
i'd just like to add that STITCH welding does more than just keep the car in one piece, handling can benefit aswell
benfredjosh
19-06-06, 12:52 PM
what weld do u all use??? and what exactly do u do just get some 2 or 3 mm plate and bend it over the seems and seem weld it in place? and pictures about of an engine bay fully seem welded? with no engine
no plating like that!!!!!
you weld for an inch and then leave an inch gap, weld for an inch etc. ALONG the seams. its best to clean any seam sealer out and then use a cold chisel to hammer the lips down so its easier to weld etc.
what exactly do u do just get some 2 or 3 mm plate and bend it over the seems and seem weld it in place?
thats chassis plating, what i did with Harry Hockley kit. Plates all the major stess/rust points of the bay and/or shell. Although most of the plates for the rear i made myself using a Fiat bravo roof skin lol
benfredjosh
19-06-06, 01:37 PM
thats chassis plating, what i did with Harry Hockley kit. Plates all the major stess/rust points of the bay and/or shell. Although most of the plates for the rear i made myself using a Fiat bravo roof skin lol
LOL! thats all a fiats good for!!!!!! lol
ahh i'll have to seek some help when i am seem welding!! maybe from some local south wales members!
where abouts in south wales are you?
heres some pics i borrowed off here for my own research
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g161/draper01/weld4.jpg
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g161/draper01/weld3.jpg
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g161/draper01/weld2.jpg
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g161/draper01/weld1.jpg
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g161/draper01/up8.jpg
some awseome welding i reckon
to those following the thread thats what i meant by STITCH welding back on page 1. As you can see when we did it, the only places that were seam welded were major stress area's. The honour of the welding goes to CP, he did a fantastic job which helped me out alot.
are they the pics above ? his royalities are in the post lol
yup lol, the pics above are from my build
i baught a welder last month. am still getting to grips with it etc. am going have to get some practice in before i whip my engine out.
good welding there.
where did you get the welder from SRlew and how much was it ?
i actually went to halfords, and they got me one in. it was the cheapest one i found when shopping around. think it was ?160 its fine for what i need it for.
iv welded exhausts bits on the car, and its fine.
thats a good price from halfords, think im gonna get 1 from screwfix, there cheapest is 140, theyve got one at 180 but think ill get the one for 200
yer do it mate. i only got a cheap one cause if i ever need a higher amp one i can just use my dads so it works out good.
id of just used your dads in the first place lol
how easy is it then lew, as a complete newbi ??
i actually went to halfords, and they got me one in. it was the cheapest one i found when shopping around. think it was ?160 its fine for what i need it for.
iv welded exhausts bits on the car, and its fine.
Jesus! fook that. i got mine from Makro for ?89 :thumb:
fooking hell, ah well i got it now.
my dad lives in devon mate so for things i can do it aint worth going all that way for a bit of welding, and i doubt i'll ever need a higher amp one.
well it aint to bad, my dad let me loose on his when i went to see him.
when your trying it out, you know if your getting a good weld by the noise, if its a constant noise then thats what you want but if you hear it spluttering then just stop lol
it just takes practise mate. i still do a sketchy weld sometimes, but meh!
just get it and practice! oh yer i found it quiet hard to get the right setting for the piece your working on at first, getting there now though
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