General What to do??

[Steffen Jensen]

How can this be avoided??
Can there be welded some inside the B-rod??
There is not much rome inside it...

 

[fingers99]

Stress crack in the B pillar?

First, fit the roll cage. That'll stiffen and stabilise everything.

Next, make a cardboard pattern to cover the crack.

Then, cut out a peice of steel to match the pattern and beat it to fit exactly. Scribe the outline of the pattern on the B pillar and cut about 1cm inside of it. Use an edge setter to make an indentation in the B pillar so that the patch sits level and MIG weld it in.

After you've properly fitted the cage it won't happen again!

 

[Steffen Jensen]

The crack is not in my car... yet!
I want to avoid it.
The way to go is to weld a plate inside the B-pillar??

The crack is from a cinq with 98bhp and no roll cage...

 

[fingers99]

Just fit the cage properly and it won't happen.

 

[Steffen Jensen]

I hope so...

 

[randomizered]

I have to worry about the chassis cracking now! must be a lot of stress on that part. I'll have to give mine the once over, though i'm sure i would spot something like that.

Kristian

 

[fingers99]

I've head of the A posts cracking due to suspension problems, but I guess the B posts might crack if you drive fast along bumpy roads with two fat blokes in the back, especially if the sills are past their prime. I don't think its power related or all of the EVO cars and 1250Cinq would have snapped in two by now!

 

[allanhelen]

That car was in a major accident at some point in the past and cheaply repaired IMHO.

even with stiff suspension the pillers are the last parts that should give

unless the area (floor and sills etc) prior to the pillar has been beefed up too much and the next weakest area is:chin:

 

[Steffen Jensen]

Never seen this crack in England??
I have seen a few i Denmark with it. specialy with hard suspension!
They say it is a weak point in the cinq and sei...

 

[fingers99]

Never seen it. Strange -- if it happened anywhere, you'd expect it in Poland, but Denmark?

 

[GoBe]

Nought to do with power, all to do with chassis flexure & hard suspension would put more stress on the chassis that way. The centos are effectively braced at the front and rear of the car but not the middle, where the driver is. This leads to flexing around the driver. You can put a full cage in or you could brace the roof and door sills which would also help reduce chassis flexure.

allanhelen; if you actually look at it that area should be one of the first to go as it'd a junction point for the, relatively, flexible middle section & the stiffer rear section. Just after the B pillar there's a Z shape then straight into the rear arches. Also the shape makes it a prime place for stress as it's in the seat of 2 L shapes quite low down on the body, below the B pillar that adds the rood torsion to any stress that area of the panel is under

 

[fingers99]

I agree with the diagnosis, although I'm puzzled that it should be happening in Denmark. WTH are they doing to the cars?

Should be easy enough to stiffen the sills with bonded on carbon fibre sideskirts (the laminate being mainly monodirectional, front to back, as it were). Harder to carry the forces through to somewhere useful like the rear subframe mounts ant the turret tops, though.

Roof could be strengthened simply by filling in the roof rack mounting channels with carbon -- effectively casting carbon beams in there.

 

[fingers99]

Oh fcuk. Just checked out Blue 2 and there's a tiny stress crack in the same place. It's so small I couldn't photograph it and can barely see it. But can be felt with the finger.

Blue 2 is a relatively high mileage car, but I don't think it's had the Spaxes on for long (and the Cinq Spax set up appears to be much stiffer than the Sei one).

I'll not do anything for now, but will watch carefully and look at some way of putting the baby TIG to work.

In the meantime, everyone else is advised to take a long, hard, look.

 

[Brooky]

or fit cages

 

[fingers99]

And full harnesses, and the Recaros.............

Bugger. It would give me an excuse not to give people lifts, though. Hang on, they'd say "use the Subaru". Mmmmm.........:bang:

 

[eMz]

Oh poop, i've got a Cinq Spax suspension kit on my Sei.. would it be worth checking the Sei?

 

[allanhelen]

hmmm i was saying accident damage as I've seen similar cracking on cars thats have been jigged before

An impact can be the precurser of these type of issues because of the way energy is disapated around the passenger compartment, even a relatively minor impact can be the route cause if there is point in the shell where stress forces converge or an area of potential weakness.

Have all these cars suffing from this problem had a blemish free past? it may be a contributing factor

 

[fingers99]

Oh poop, i've got a Cinq Spax suspension kit on my Sei.. would it be worth checking the Sei?

Yes, although I've heard they're stiffer structurally, so may not do it.

 

[fingers99]

Have all these cars suffing from this problem had a blemish free past? it may be a contributing factor

Who knows? But such stuff isn't uncommon in cars with stiff suspension: some of the Pugs and Citroens do it, Integrales do it, GTI mk1 and 2 do it, I think Scoobies and Pulsars do it, too.

 

[randomizered]

Well...i know my history from day one so I'll have a look tomorrow to see if mine is ok. Sure it will be though

Kristian