I bought my race car used, and when I got it home I noticed the right side had taken a bit of a crunch in the hands of a previous owner. The (replacement) door doesn't fit quite right, and there are these cracks running along the bottom and back of the door frame. Do the cracks have any appreciable effect on the structural rigidity of the unibody?

If so, are the cracks repairable? I was thinking about some serious welding and grinding to try to close them, but the gap seems pretty big. Is it even worth worrying about?

Jon, who still loves his car, even if it does have some laugh lines...

 

Those cracks will definitely affect the ridgidity of the car. That section is considered the 'frame rail' of the car. How much it make a diff. depends on the quality of the cage. I would clean it up & weld those areas. Be careful & really take your time. You don't want to overheat the metal as that will cause it to be weakened.

 

Some of that looks like Bondo, especially around the door keeper. Looks like that rocker has been replaced and or repaired before.

 

MIG weld the seams after grinding it down and assessing the damage!

 

I'd definetly try cleaning that up a bit, has anyone tried filling hollow spots in the frame with foam? Maybe that will help the rigidity

 

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Maybe, but certainly wouldn't help the legality...

Would there be an issue iwth welding this area? I suppose it would fall into the repair category, but if someone wanted to make a big deal out of it?

 

A repair won't be an issue for NASA racing. I don't think it will be for SCCA. Any rational preson will realize it is a repair & not a 'extra ....' to the car. I guess to CYA, you should take pictures of before & after & keep with the logbook.

 

thats a lot of bondo! must be hiding a wrinkly panel under there.

 

Thanks for the responses all. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me. Maybe the whole "used racecar" thing wasn't all it was cracked up to be... AHAHAHA OH I KILL ME.

 

j0o are one crazy <U>crack</U> head

 

the cracks are repairable but not easy or cheap. your car is not straight. cut the roll bar and have the body aligned. the new door should fit after the repair.

 

Damn, yank that cage out and find a new tub.