I was about to lower a customers 99 Dodge Dakota today using a Belltech lowering kit when I came across this!

The customer stated that he had hit a curb and had his wheel replaced. Looks to me like there was a lot more damage than he anticipated.

This is a picture of the front passenger lower control arm mount. (camera phone pics suck)




My question to you fabricators and welding masters is... would it be ok to take lets say a 1/4" plate steel and cut it out to match the part that is broken and weld it to the existing broken part... in a way overlaying the new part on top of the broken one. I would think this would be ok as long as the holes where the bolt went through line up correctly... but I could be wrong. The new part would be sized so that i would also be able to weld it not only to the factory part but also to the frame for added strength. I cant let this vehicle leave my shop like this as it puts my customers safety in jeopardy. So my question to honda-tech is... what would you do??? BTW.. i called several body shops and sent photos and no one wants to touch it.

Thanks in advance.

 

If it was mine I would pound the broke piece back up into position and weld it and grind smooth. Then take a big thick fat grade 8 or better washer and bolt the control arm back on. Then weld around the washer.
But if it was for somebody else, not sure. Doing suspension stuff for a vehicle that is going to be on the street with other cars is sketchy. He might hit another curb and rip the whole front end off..but mow over a loaded park bench in the process. Lawyers love to find blame.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Evile140 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Doing suspension stuff for a vehicle that is going to be on the street with other cars is sketchy. He might hit another curb and rip the whole front end off..but mow over a loaded park bench in the process. Lawyers love to find blame.</TD></TR></TABLE>

When i looked at it this morning.. its exactly what went through my head!

 

I wouldnt do it for someone else. If it breaks in a crash and it gets back to you you're screwed.

Now if you fabricated an exact duplicate of the OEM part and welded it to look exactly like the OEM weld...you could still be fucked if it breaks but no more than the OEM manufacturer only you have less lawyers at your disposal( I assume)

I could weld it so it wouldnt break with confidence but i still wouldnt touch it with a 10 foot pole.

 

if it had to be done i would do exactly what u have in mind HP. but there is always the blame thing if something were to go wrong............ have him sign something stating u are not to blame if 2 days or 10 years down the road it breaks again, assuming u or who ever are good at welding and do it right.

mike

 

Well its not just that if you fix it and he crashes. lets say you fix it and it runs GREAT for years. Then he sells it without disclosing what happend, even if he did disclose what happend doesn't really matter. The the next owner hits a big pothole or jumps a speedbump(we have all seen it), and it breaks, sending him into a packed scoolbus which shoots off a bridge... Okay so its very unlikely, maybe just the driver gets hurt.

By fixing it and LETTING him drive the car you are saying that the car is okay for street use, making you liable for the car for its ENTIRE life, obviously only if that part fails.

The only way i would do it is have a waiver signed, one that is created or at least looked over by a lawer(not fool proof though) and make sure he understands what the problem.


If it were my shop i would probably tell him that i will fix it for an astomonical price, which he will refuse, then tell him he can have it towed while your shop is open, or have it "towed" when your closed, but its important that you don't see him drive that car like that from your shop.

Running a shop these days is BS with all the legalities, even if the guy is cool... his successors might not be...

 

ya, liability is the issue. That is an extremely easy fix though, too bad you cant just charge him $300 and do it in 1/2hr

 

No if the owner sales it then the guy that fixed it is not liably for anything..Vehicle is sold as is with no warranty....

 

If its a non replaceable part, you can weld it, but make sure you keep good notes and have him sign a liability waiver, which entails that you are not guaranteeing it 100%

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bigblockhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">No if the owner sales it then the guy that fixed it is not liably for anything..Vehicle is sold as is with no warranty....</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not true. If things go south(if the weld ever did fail) a good lawyer will at least make the shop pay for the car, given no further damages occurred. There are SO many ways a good lawyer can manipulate the systems that it COULD come back to him.

If the car is repaired it doesn't matter if its sold after, the fact is if the weld/repair fails then whoever fixed it is liable(not the person who sold the car).

Of course were thinking merely of worst case scenario here, because with this many rabies carrying rats in our country(lawyers) you need to watch your back.

 

I have been welding for years and I would say to pass on this one. I could fix it and sleep every night for the rest of my life with out a worry but your business would need some good insurance to protect you from a failure. I would also ask is the truck in warranty? if so let the dealer deal with it.

 

Tell him to take it back to the shop that did the original post curbing repairs.

 

this is all great info and I have thought it through. even though it looks like an easy fix... I have a serious concern over my liability in the long run. being a business owner is a huge responsibility. I can fix and weld it no problem but if it is damaged again by any reason will it hold up. I have contacted the customer and told him I would help him find a reputable frame shop to fix the problem. I would rather lose the labor money to fix it and save the possibility of future lawsuits in case of a diaster.

thanks for the advice from everyone.

 

tell him to take it to the dealer and have it replaced. That way you aren't liable.

 

You're doing the right thing man

 

Good choice. you don't need the hassles