Something in my front suspension cracked??

[rnln]

Does anyone know what this is? And how does it affect?

[450knotOffice]

That is one of the mounting points for the front suspension crossmember to the unibody. I'm pretty sure the undercoating is simply cracked in that area. Can you take a much closer picture of the area and post it again?

[rnln]

Hi 450knotOffice,
Here is a closer pic I just took. There is a liitle gap, facing upward, therefore you can't see it in the pic. The gap is not all around this cylinder shape, look like a bowl shape on the bottom is holding a cylinder on the top. I tried to poke around the bottom with force but it's hard. So I think you are right, just the undercoating is crack. If not, the car should not be acting normal anymore, right?

[450knotOffice]

(edit: Grady sees something I don't, so I'll defer to his knowlege)

[rnln]

feel release
Thanks.

[Grady Clay]

Your 911 may be acting normal right now but you shouldn’t drive until that has been thoroughly inspected and repaired. Two risks; driving will probably increase the failure; it might lead to a catastrophic failure.

Has the 911 ever had accident repair in this area? It is possible this is prior, un-repaired damage. This could be from a LF hit and just the suspension repaired.

Sorry to see that. You deserve an A+++ for spotting this before it becomes a serious problem.

Best,
Grady

[450knotOffice]

Grady, excuse my ignorance, but I do not see what you two are talking about at all. Can you show me please, or desribe what you are seeing?

[john70t]

This is the corner of where the "U-shaped" hard parts of the front suspension rack(including t-bar and mounts) attaches to the soft(er) unibody.

The unibody itself has cracked next to that mounting point. This split seam needs to be re-welded.......optimally on a chassis jig if possible(best way for "perfect" alignment) to get the unibody chassis acting as one.
Worst case senario is nailing a curb and having the entire front end bend from a square to a parallelagram as the rear mounts break loose.

Double the kudos for finding it, drive safe.

[Grady Clay]

This a crack (yellow arrow) between the suspension mounting
point and the rest of the chassis. At the time of the collision
repair it conceivably might not have been visible but I doubt it.
It also could have been progressing over time.

Is this other damage (purple arrows)?



I think the two blue arrows in the first image may be welding
flashing but I can’t tell from the image.

Here is the exploded view from a parts manual. The apparent
crack is at the yellow lines.
"
"
© Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche A.G.

This is also one of the dimension defining points in the chassis.

It is possible that this has been there a long time judging
by the road grime on the A-arm and cross member. If the
suspension attachment breaks loose from the chassis it
will be much more difficult to repair.

Best,
Grady

[berettafan]

-------bystander question------------


so what would the fix be here? would you clean the area up with a wire wheel and re-weld or should the entire front end be taken off to release stress and then clean/re-weld?

just curious...

Erik

[450knotOffice]

Huh! Guys, take a better look. What you are looking at is the unibody seam where it arcs up and over the tie rod on the left side of the car. Due to the straight-on view, and the lack of perceived depth in the photo, the space between the seam and the mounting point of the crossmember appears to be a "crack" instead. Take a look at the four pictures I just took of the same area, one of which is at about the same angle as his photo, which gives about the same illusion.

Besides, I think he's actually talking about the area where the barrel shaped crossmember mount sits in the little concave area on the crossmember. At least that what I think he's talking about

An angled shot of the area, including the seam. This is taken in the left wheelwell from the rear


Another similar shot


Another...


Finally, a direct-line view of the seam and the crossmember mount. Note the space between the seam and the mount, which is about a finger's width

[Grady Clay]

I know that a 930 Turbo and a 911SC have different chassis
here. Is there the same difference between an ‘87 M491
Widebody and an ‘87 911 Carrera?

Doing some research I found this image for a 930 Turbo:
"
"
© Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche A.G.

Take some more images, some without the flash. Could what
I see as a crack is an artifact of the image? A shadow?

Scott, I agree.

Best,
Grady

[rnln]

wow, imaging what you guys can see. Man.. what a pro.
After reading all the discussion, I got scared and get semi-under my sexy model again...

Grady,
The "crack like" as the yellow arrow is not a crack. It the shaddow of the edge which my pic created... I feel release now.

At the purple arrows, it's the metal tiny pipe is in front of the steering rack boot and the metal tie at the end of it. The edge of the boot is curving up. I still have not found any sign of accident yet.

Sorry for the confusion guys, I am not good as explaining. 450knotOffice was and is right about my question.

Thanks all much.

[HarryD]

Interesting thread.

rnln: Don't feel too bad. After all, what would be worse? Seeing that "crack" and then after investigation, finding out it was nothing or assuming it was nothing to have it go pop in the middle of a high speed turn?

At times, we all see things that are not as they seem. Asking for verification is the wise thing to do.

Remember, there are no dumb questions.

Enjoy your ride.

[rnln]

HarryD, Thanks.