Just something I've been thinking about but in no way committed to doing in this car at this point. kind of a thought experiment
Often when my mates have stripped and rebuilt cars I've heard them talking about fully stitch welding the chassis which obviously has it's pro's and cons..
pro's
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- stiffen up shell and make suspension setup more effective (the main purpose probably)
- strengthen up the shell which may be necessary due to age (noticeable sometimes when you jack up one corner and then can't open or close a door)
- arguably slightly better crash protection
cons
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- unless you can get to the back side of the welds you're adding a new rust point
- may affect the design of the car's crumple zones (although, in a mini really will that make any difference)
- may make the ride a lot harsher which is fine for track but less so for the road
- makes replacing panels in the future more awkward
and possibly some other stuff I've not thought of
my thoughts are, will stitch welding go some way to giving good rigidity for people who don't want the awkwardness of a full cage
and, if I maybe just stick to a few key areas where I can get to the other side and paint over welds then would that just force other parts of the car to flex worse and cause damage (i.e. maybe better to do either all or none)
I'm aware the vizard has some thoughts on welding up the cross member / tunnel / plating over bulkhead subframe mounts / welding up parts of the subframes and adding corner pieces etc / strengthening tie rod mounts, and I'm considering all of these things
so anyway has anyone ever fully stich welded a mini shell for fast road use and did it make a worthwhile difference
or it it really just a waste of time and gas
Edited by stuart bowes, 11 June 2022 - 02:40 PM.