18 replies to this topic

[minifreek1]

My Mayfair cracked in exactly the same place, I replaced the subframe mounts and welded the crack up. Be fine ever since...

[tiger99]

This cracking (and possibly worse, elsewhere, such as the lower face of the bulkhead crossmember) is inevitable if a mixture of rubber and solid subframe mounts are used, or if the disgraceful, badly designed poly mounts that are currently on the market are used, but it may well happen on a car with rubber mounts if the subframe to toeboard mounts have, often invisibly, failed, so it is not always a result of incorrectly mixing mounts. or anything to do with maintenance practices. Often the first that you know of the mount failure is when you take them out and find that the rubber has totally separated from the metal, unless you happen to notice that the handling has degraded. ?Maybe a good idea to carefully inspect the toeboard mounts at every service interval (6000 miles usually)?

 

As stated above, the repair is relatively simple if caught in time, but please do try to get the cracks closed tightly before welding. perhaps by pulling the front panel area down and back (with all subframe bolts loose) with whatever equipment you have. Don't overdo it!

 

By the way, those who advocate fitting flip fronts and/or claim that the inner wings are not part of the monocoque (including an incompetent at VOSA) may care to ponder why, if the area is unstressed, cracking occurs...

[tiger99]

This cracking (and possibly worse, elsewhere, such as the lower face of the bulkhead crossmember) is inevitable if a mixture of rubber and solid subframe mounts are used, or if the disgraceful, badly designed poly mounts that are currently on the market are used, but it may well happen on a car with rubber mounts if the subframe to toeboard mounts have, often invisibly, failed, so it is not always a result of incorrectly mixing mounts. or anything to do with maintenance practices. Often the first that you know of the mount failure is when you take them out and find that the rubber has totally separated from the metal, unless you happen to notice that the handling has degraded. ?Maybe a good idea to carefully inspect the toeboard mounts at every service interval (6000 miles usually)?

 

As stated above, the repair is relatively simple if caught in time, but please do try to get the cracks closed tightly before welding. perhaps by pulling the front panel area down and back (with all subframe bolts loose) with whatever equipment you have. Don't overdo it!

 

By the way, those who advocate fitting flip fronts and/or claim that the inner wings are not part of the monocoque (including an incompetent at VOSA) may care to ponder why, if the area is unstressed, cracking occurs...

[Gil-galad]

This is what I discovered when I inspected the front subframe tower mounts...

 

 

 

It's no wonder some inner wing flexing was going on.

 

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