Hello. I have 2013 Megane 265 cup, the previous owner who installed coilovers (AST 5100) have cutted the strut tower in a very unprofessional way (see picture below). later, car has been installed back with stock suspension. Fast forward to date, i have purchased kw clubsport, and need to install them soon. The problem is there is a very little crack on the strut tower from the cut to the bolt. To be honest the cut has concern a lot, and I’m not installing the coilovers until I’m make the strut tower perfect and strong enough. Im looking for the best way to make the strut stronger, nice looking with no worries afterwards. I have planned on welding the crack, sand it and than paint it, but i think it’s just matter of time it will come again. So I would be happy if you can suggest me Some ways for the job Thank you!
I would cut it all out personally yes. L It’s highly likely that there is other stressed material in the area.
It’s seems to be very hard to weld the missing part and copy the angles as original, and I thing a proper plate above it will not make it that stronger
Strongly suggest you take it to a professional panel beater for them to assess and repair. The end result should include a reinforcing ring as per the attached. Stresses in the metal work will concentrate at corners of your square cutout - hence the cracks. It needs to be ideally a circular cut out or if not, corners with a significant radius.
After taking it to a professional, he said another welding will just make it worse and make the area weaker. So we did very clean and carful
I would keep a very close eye on it - look for any deformation of the area and/or (in particular) propagation of cracks at the corners. Application of any EXCESSIVE heat will weaken the metal work. That's why you need to use TIG welding, done by someone experienced, and adequate reinforcing backing plate in the area Extract from an article on the subject of welding car chassis Why TIG Welding On Your Car Frame Is Better? There is a wider filler material selection for TIG welding processes which is an advantage when compared to MIG welding where the user needs to run the wire through the feed tube. More to the point of filler material affecting the vehicle frame, this is application dependent. Most stamped steel frames can be welded with either MIG or TIG welding processes, but when a vehicle frame has chrome-moly tubing supports or intricate curvatures such as with racing frames or with motorcycles, TIG welding is your optimal choice. TIG welding will provide a far superior product when welding together vehicle frames that contain high alloy steels which are heat sensitive and may be susceptible to cracks in the heat affected zone. MIG welders (if not set up properly) can create “cold starts” where the penetration of the base material is not complete, which creates a weld situation where the joint might be compromised in a certain area. If your application appears to be more of a heavy-duty industrial frame or a frame that will only see standard commuting-to-work type use, then MIG welding is most likely your best choice. If your application includes anything more strenuous or extreme, such as racing, off-road, or otherwise, TIG welding is most likely your best choice for welding on a vehicle frame.
