[GTV-GR]

I got a new issue with the GTV , been hearing this noise for a couple of weeks now , thought it was the rear side window loose banging around didn't pay too much attention , well checked it thoroughly today...the rear right suspension housing the one the shock bolts into has stripped one bolt from the chassis with a tiny piece of the chassis...what the hell???? The rear suspension is unbelievably soft , oh why god why???? I hate having the car fixed by someone else, i can't do that though , i don't have the space , how do i cope with this damage -what's the best way to approach this?

 

[GTV-GR]

Photos of the carnage

There seems to be an old weld spot right there, and the car when bought had super soft rear suspension...it still has.
The metal seems very thin for this particular stress spot, why? I understand many guys here have bilsteins and race suspension setups on super hard , how does the metal cope with this?? Do you have to weld extra plates in order to have stiffer suspension and be trouble free?
Akitaman - how do i fix this?

 

[Andrew]

This is not unusual, especially if you install stronger than stock shocks. The sheet metal is pretty thin there. I'd think cutting the whole section out and patching with a reinforced piece cut from another car would work fine.

Andrew

 

[darth dino]

gas pressurized shocks, such as Bilsteins, are notorious for doing this.

 

[GTV-GR]

Darth - but i'm running the SOFTEST shocks in the world at the back

 

[Rob K]

not to panic, but does one want to think preemptive reinforcement here if running stiffer shocks?

 

[darth dino]

Darth - but i'm running the SOFTEST shocks in the world at the back

does your car have rust back there ?
chassis have high mileage ?
use the car on really rough roads ?
are YOU prone to Murphy's Law ?
do you talk reassuringly to your Alfa before you start her up and drive ?
do you make the appropriate sacrifices to the Alfa gods, to keep away the unexpected breakdowns ?

it is a known weak area in the design, but as far as i know, this failure is much less common with stock suspensions. these cars are not getting any younger either. i imagine you could weld in some reinforcing plates on the shelf where the shock mount bolts down.

PM Akitaman and some of the racers on the BB, and see if there are some common occurances/solutions, or start a new thread titled : "how to fix broken rear shock mounts ?" or something like that . . .

 

[GTV-GR]

"do you make the appropriate sacrifices to the Alfa gods, to keep away the unexpected breakdowns ?"

-3 young virgins every day

There is no rust at the back , i only can trace an old spot weld...
I don't race it , i snap a couple of times but thats it
If you add metal sheets on top doesn't that change the height of the cup where the shock attaches to?

-Of course my immediate reaction was to pm Akitaman ,hasn't replied yet as i think all you lucky US guys have turned your cars to his shop and i think we gonna start missing him from this forum due to loads of work

-

 

[darth dino]

If you add metal sheets on top doesn't that change the height of the cup where the shock attaches to ?

the sheetmetal added will increase the height, what, 1/8 inch (3mm) maximum ? so your shock will be extended a wee bit more. shouldn't hurt a bit. as long as the axle strap is still the suspension droop stop, and not the shock, you'll be just fine.

the springs determine ride height, the bump stops control the compression limit, and the axle straps limit the extension distance. also, standard hydraulic shocks have a fairly linear damping curve, so the shocks should not feel any stiffer or softer.

 

[Andrew]

This are is subject to rust, and is relatively thin to begin with, so I don't think stiff shocks are always the culprit. Also, amount and type of driving can affect it. Rough roads, potholes, track use, etc., would all cause more stress/flex in this area.
Andrew

 

[rogerspeed]

bad luck, to add to andrew's list of probable causes: lack of rebound straps, bad shock bushings, frozen shock, bad trailing arm bushings, the shocks not tightened in the upper and/or bottom mount, the upper shock mount not being tightened to the body. As you noted the problem had been building, you hear heard the noise as the metal fatigued from movement over time. On a karmic (carmic?) basis, somewhere, the pretty girl with stuck car is laughing

 

[GTV-GR]

"bad trailing arm bushings, the shocks not tightened in the upper and/or bottom mount, the upper shock mount not being tightened to the body."

Thanks Roge i think it's got to be one of these , i'll take the -not tightened upper shocks for 500$ Alex
As for the girl ,she is definately laughing naked on top of her Gt

Where are you Daron???????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[GTV-GR]

Come on Daron check this before i take the car somewhere and they skin me alive

 

[akitaman]

When we deal with this, we tend to do two things. One, we cut out the defect to a point where the metal is of quality. We make that cut squared too. Next, we then bead roll the perimeter of the replacement steel to stiffen the metal. In any case of how this is handled I would absolutely repair this with replacement metal. And it would be 18 gauge steel.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

 

[GTV-GR]

Summer time blues (again)

Found some money AND balls, got a MIG , i'll do this by myself

Akitaman 2 Questions:

1. Do i cut the spring housing top off and weld in the inner tube a new heavy gauge circular piece?

2. I need to cut the top sheet metal near the inner wing and at the corner of inner wing- backseat plate , the angled grinder doesn't reach there , oxygen ,plasma or something else perhaps?


Thanks in advance Man

 

[GTV-GR]

More...

Surprise ,surprise ...the inner triangular box section (between back seat -trunk plate to where the bottom sheet attaches onto the other-the inner trunk step)
It's not painted!! No rustproofing!!!!!!!!
By the way the thing that looks like rust IT AIN"T, it's some kind of dirt , looks like i'm one of the lucky ones...Totally sealed!!

Daron should i paint something onto this?

 

[Chsmadden]

do you make the appropriate sacrifices to the Alfa gods, to keep away the unexpected breakdowns ?

And those would be?
That would explain the dead battery.

 

[akitaman]

Just get a spray can of cavity wax. Even in the Greek heat it should stay coated to the walls. Do this once every year or so and it will never rust. Cavity wax keeps oxygen off the metal. With out oxygen rust can not start.

 

[GTV-GR]

Akitaman - Do i cut the spring housing top off and weld in the inner tube a new heavy gauge circular piece?

 

[GTV-GR]

Newbie way into deep waters...

Progress:

Straightened the cuts , Big problem of course is the 2 pieces of metal missing from the absorber turrets cause that's where the absorber actually bolts onto, the top piece of metal doesn't take any loads at all.
Best deal would be to cut a circular same size piece slide it underneath weld it and fill the upper surface with spot welds, grind it down , drill it and voila... BUT the piece can't be inserted into the turret , SO it will be cut in two pieces cause that's the only way you can get it in there...

P.S. I thought of changine the places to where the absorber cap bolts in order not to put load on a already problem area BUT it will be difficult to bolt the absorber cap since one of the bolts would be very unaccessible.