Inner apron welds???

04mustang70 · Oct 28, 2007

Hey all. I have a 70 Mach 1. Front end completely stripped. I need a RH inner apron (battery rust) and have small 2 inch cracks at the base of the same shock tower.

Questions:

Do I replace the shock tower or can I weld the cracks so they don't grow?

What is the most effective way to get out the factory spot welds? (drill them?)

Battery is going in the trunk so should I use a LH side apron and how do you modify the LH apron to fit on the RH side?

What type of welder and Im using for all this? Mig?

Any help would be appreciated.

NasaGT · Oct 29, 2007

There was a thread not too long ago that people posted pics of what they did with the RH apron. I think if you search for "apron" you would turn that thread up pretty fast.

A Spot weld cutter is the best for drilling out the welds. There are many places to buy these, eastwood makes a nice one for not too much $.

A Mig welder works well for this kindof work.

I haven't had to fix any shock towers, hopefully someone else will chime in about that question.

reenmachine · Oct 29, 2007

Here's a thread we had going not too long ago (the one referenced above):

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=719403

Regarding the cracks in the shock towers, I don't see anything wrong with welding them up as long as you do a few things. Strip & grind the entire area so you can see where they really begin and end. This nice clean steel will let you get good weld quality and penetration as well. Make sure there are no other cracks while you're at it. When you're putting everything back together make sure you add some supplemental bracing (export brace/Monte Carlo bar system) to help avoid the problem in the future.

CochinoFilipino · Oct 30, 2007

Can someone chime in with some info on how to properly repair cracks in the shock tower?

I wouldn't attempt it myself, but I'd want to know that the person I hired was doing it properly.

Some questions I have:
Preparation-
-Should holes be drilled the ends of the crack?
-Should the crack be ground at all out for filling?
Inspection-
-Should we look for more cracks that may not be visible to the naked eye?
-If so, how? some sort of ink test?
Reinforcement-
-This would be good time to add a repair/reinforcement kit. Is this mod worth the expense and effort?

04mustang70 · Oct 31, 2007

Great questions Cochino. I would also like to know if holes in the ends of the cracks would stop them from spreading more. What kind reinforcement do the have for the shock towers besides monte bars and export braces?

CochinoFilipino · Oct 31, 2007

http://www.drgas.com/store/product.php?productid=108&cat=22&page=1

That's just one example. There are many other kits out there based on the Boss chassis mods.

RUSTYNUT · Nov 1, 2007

Never welded shock towers but weld cracked frames many times. Must drill hole at the end of the crack. Properly done and added support should be no problem. If mine I would weld it.

Inner apron welds???

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