Glued my broken frame

[pflaming]

I read where metal bonding is stronger than a weld, so ‘glued’ a plate over the break in my EMPI frame. If this is a mistake, I can still weld. 

[Bryan]

What's an EMPI?  Inside the car with the floor pan?

[pflaming]

EMPI is a kit body on a VW pan (frame). I bought this as a project with my grandson, he was not interested, so I built it for me. I paid $10 for the frame, without a rear axle and engine. 

[Dodge City]

As a guy that has a few VW's around, I've never seen anything like that before.

Very unusual looks like you came a long way on it though. Good work!

[Dodge City]

I had a tri-hull boat that had a hole in the bottom of it that was the size of a nickel. It was right where the water line slapped the bottom of the boat at high speed. I J.B. Welded it and it lasted for 12 years until I sold the boat. Never did crack back out.

Keep an eye on it and you'll find out eventually if you made a mistake or not...

[pflaming]

The glue application did NOT hold.l So need a good weld then a new tunnel plate also welded in. Maybe this week. I’m slowly making progress, not easy for me anymore.  So I done one or two things each day. 

[Sniper]

Thanks for the update.

 

I know gluing cars together is common with some (most?) OEM's these days.  Wonder why it failed?  Surface prep maybe?  Old glue?  I was at NAPA the other day looking for weatherstrip glue, this was when I redid my cowl vent seal.  Most of the stuff on the hook was expired.  I got one that wasn't, it was the one in the front too.  I guess no one rotates the stock.  Same deal at the grocery store, GF likes almond milk and the only one I could find there, well each one was expired, some months expired.   

 

Never count on someone else to look out for you is my philosophy.

[Semmerling]

Two important points, one is a killer.

First, it may be stronger than steel but that means that if you have an 1/8th inch steel plate and an 1/8th inch glob of resin they are ready to be compared. Smearing paste wafer thin and hoping for surface radial torque strength is, is, well not going to happen. 

Second, Why do you think the VW "Thing" was taken off the roads? Because its slanted front trunk hood took the lower impact energy and immediately transferred that to  that very same hood design, forcing the hood back back and literally cutting off the heads of the front passengers. Crappy as The Thing was it at least had flimsy side pillars. This body takes that principle and makes it much more dangerous. Love your grandchild?  Keep your head  before you "Louisette."

Edited July 11, 2022 by Semmerling

[Frank Blackstone]

The glue method I used for body work as recommended by a professional as stronger than a weld was the FUSOR 108B system. The 2 tube applicator gun was $40.00. The metal was 18 G sheet metal . The application was of a thin layer of adhesive that was then riveted every 2 inches for 4 feet of a quarter panel.   I would consider Semmerling idea that the adhesive may need to be as thick as the bonded metal. Maybe in layers to achieve desired thickness. Interesting idea and I would try it myself in no alternative was available. Or just to try something to see if it will work.

[Los_Control]

Looks like a lot is going on there. Looks like 2 stress cracks that started from a previous repair.

Possibly they did not completely weld up the previous repair so the cracks continued to grow.

The cracks will need to be properly prepared & removed, then welded up .... or they will continue to grow.

I have no idea what was done there in the past, why the bracket has been cut & folded back.

What does the other side of the tunnel look like? Any repairs or cracking going on there?

 

Lets be honest here, that's a lot of booger welding going on there. Looks like something that Los_Control character would do.

Looks like it will hold, sure not pretty. ..... Really was not done by a professional welder.

Besides what they obviously missed ... I would want to look over the repair to see if any other missed areas.

 

 

[Dave72dt]

I think there are some items inside the tunnel that need to be shortened when the pan is shortened and the panel where the welds are would be the access area.  A butt welded structural panel like that probably should have had some type of backer panel plug welded in.

[pflaming]

Yes, po shortened the frame so I only need to get it straight and get it solid. Some good welding will do all that. With a slow healing broken leg, I’ve been out of the ship since early April. I can now walk, not far and not fast but bother will start improving now.