strut tower crack (strut mount ring)

[guibo09]

i found 2 cracks on the strut tower ring driver's side. they are about the height of the ring, and are exactly aligned with the bolts for the strut mount.

from searching, it seams like cracks are more common along the strut tower to body joint. this seems to be a different problem.

anyone seen this before? can i just weld it up, slap on a strut bar and hope for the best?

[ethirtydavid]

pictures = 1000 words

[guibo09]

yeah, forgot to snap one off. coming tomorrow.

[Knockenwelle]

Dukes of Hazard?

[gearheadE30]

Strut towers front and rear are known to be a little bit crack-prone, especially when it comes to cars with stiff/low suspension that see a lot of use on bumpy roads. Usually there is rust and corrosion involved as well.

[guibo09]

Strut towers front and rear are known to be a little bit crack-prone, especially when it comes to cars with stiff/low suspension that see a lot of use on bumpy roads. Usually there is rust and corrosion involved as well.

there is some rust, but i think it came after the crack. the car has been on stock suspension all its life, and never tracked. maybe the potholes did it.

ill have it rewelded. will a strut bar eliminate cracking problems even with stiff suspensions?

[guibo09]

pictures finally!

[AndrewBird]

I'm not really sue what would cause it to crack there. It's kind of a strange location. As minor as it is though, welding should fix the problems with no effects afterwards.

[guibo09]

I'm not really sue what would cause it to crack there. It's kind of a strange location. As minor as it is though, welding should fix the problems with no effects afterwards.

yeah gonna have the body shop weld the two cracks.

[Liam]

More common is just a bulging of the strut tower top and distortion of the inner side rail. This is actually semi common though on cars with stiff suspension and high mileage or have been driven aggressively.