Welding Rear Sway Bar Mounts

Kraftwerk · 05:07 PM

So... I am doing a FULL suspension re-fresh in my '83 SC similar to what others have done (...and documented very well, thanks guys, Craig D etc. & thanks Pelican!)
The front is done.. for the most part.
Started to disassemble the rear. Steep learning curve, as it's a whole 'nother animal back there. Many questions but one has been nagging me since before I started. Welding on the Rear Sway Bar Mount ....it is the only thing I will 'farm -out' along with a corner balance and alignment ... leaving that to the pros with the fancy equipment. But will the heat from welding compromise any of the rubber which is nearby? For instance there are some transmission or motor mounts, right? Also soon-to-be-installed Elephant PolyBronze bushings, should I wait on these until after the welding? That was not the plan originally.. concerned about this stuff, no shortage of heat/welding horror stories.

BTW I also overhauled my steering rack. That was fun. The fronts look great with ALL fresh parts. I should post photos. The only feeling I can convey, to describe it, is when you are a kid and you see the christmas tree with tons of presents underneath.

Dmitry at Pelican Parts · 10-03-2016, 02:07 PM

Thanks for the love Kraftwerk (amazing username btw, I'm a big fan of theirs too

) Keep us updated with the build, I'm sure she'll be a beaut!

-Dmitry

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kraftwerk

Welding on the Rear Sway Bar Mount ....it is the only thing I will 'farm -out' along with a corner balance and alignment ... leaving that to the pros with the fancy equipment. But will the heat from welding compromise any of the rubber which is nearby? For instance there are some transmission or motor mounts, right?

This will require MIG welding. OK, stick welding, maybe, but if by a pro, ok.

No rubber melting risk.

Heat is extremely localized. Torch/brazing, different animal.

Kraftwerk · 05:08 PM

Thanks Bob, one less worry.

& Dmitry... been here awhile and I can tell you, w/o Pelican Parts & Forum I might not ever have known the joys of Porsche ownership. When I realized there was a support-group full of such patient and knowledgable people, it gave me the confidence to 'join the club' and start looking for a car way back when ... and I was lucky to find my car, in 2002 I think it was. The forum gave me the license to own a Porsche and the parts department helped me keep it running.
No other forum compares !

Don Ivey · 10-04-2016, 04:37 AM

Wouldn't hurt to remove the ecu chip from under the seat, esp. if welding electrically. Mine went bad soon after having this job done. Could be a coincidence, but why chance it.

wrxnofx · wrxnofx's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Ivey

Wouldn't hurt to remove the ecu chip from under the seat, esp. if welding electrically. Mine went bad soon after having this job done. Could be a coincidence, but why chance it.

His '83 would be CIS, so therefore won't have the ECU under the seat.

JohnJL · 10-04-2016, 05:13 AM

You will find it much easier to have them welded in without yoursuspension in place, or at least grind back to metal in the ares to be welded. It ia a tight fit for a grinder with everything installed.

Kraftwerk · 10-04-2016, 08:47 AM

Yeah, I was thinking to grind the area to be welded, to save the welder some time, least I can do. I think I have to chop off the o.e.m. mounts..right?

JohnJL · 10-04-2016, 09:06 AM

Yes you chop them off, although I did see one car where the owner kept the existing mount and welded in a plate and reinforcement. If you are using aftermarket mounts you can use those as templates for the cutting and grinding area.

Dmitry at Pelican Parts · 10-04-2016, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kraftwerk

Thanks Bob, one less worry.

& Dmitry... been here awhile and I can tell you, w/o Pelican Parts & Forum I might not ever have known the joys of Porsche ownership. When I realized there was a support-group full of such patient and knowledgable people, it gave me the confidence to join the club way back when ... (and I was lucky to find my car, in 2002 I think it was)... the forum gave me the license to own a Porsche and the parts department helped me keep it running.
No other forum compares !

Wow! Thank you for the extremely kind words Kraftwerk. We're here for you guys and hope that the community continues to grow and introduce people to the joys of owning an amazing piece of machinery; like it did for you! Keep it up!

-Dmitry

911tracker85 · 10-05-2016, 07:53 AM

need pics. will be part of my 78 project.

RichardNew · RichardNew's Garage

Has anyone ever seen a failure in the stock mounts?

I've tracked my car and also run autocross events for the last decade and never had an issue.

Richard Newton
Turbo Tie Rod Ends

chrismorse · chrismorse's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardNew

Has anyone ever seen a failure in the stock mounts?

I've tracked my car and also run autocross events for the last decade and never had an issue.

Richard Newton
Turbo Tie Rod Ends

Hi Richard,

My dad bought the 74 with the 20mm/18mm "Carrera" bars. He was far from an aggressive driver, but at some point the right mount buckled and failed. When I got the car, it was possible to see where the shop had used a recip saw to cut off the majority of the failed mount. They also left off the rear bar.

I will dig up a link to my post installing Wevo mounts.

chris

Cory M · 10-05-2016, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardNew

Has anyone ever seen a failure in the stock mounts?

I've tracked my car and also run autocross events for the last decade and never had an issue.

Richard Newton
Turbo Tie Rod Ends

The stock mounts break all the time on track cars. That's the whole reason people reinforce them or replace them with ones from Wevo, Buckley, JWE, etc. If the stock mounts didn't fail these products wouldn't exist. If you are lightly tracking your car once in a while on street tires and soft stock anti-roll bars you are at much less of a risk of failure than someone driving hard, a lot, with race tires, and stiff suspension.

If you search the site you can find plenty of examples, here's a few...

DG624 · 10-05-2016, 11:17 AM

I had my 86 reinforced without any problems but I am now worried about the ECU. I replaced mine with Rebel Racing stronger inserts that allow reinforcement without grinding off original part. Less welding too.

Wouldn't hurt to remove the ecu chip from under the seat, esp. if welding electrically.

How can I check to see if my Chip was harmed?

darrin · 10-05-2016, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DG624

How can I check to see if my Chip was harmed?

Does your car still run? If so, likely your chip wasn't harmed --

winders · 10-05-2016, 12:18 PM

Get the JWE mounting bracket kit. It is the best out there by far and, if welded on properly, will never fail.

Tidybuoy · 10-05-2016, 02:33 PM

Just want to mention that there is a Weltmeister option that I have on my car and it works very well and - no welding. This mounts onto the torsion bar tube and uses stock drop links.

donporfi · 10-05-2016, 02:57 PM

Another one that broke.

Dublinoh · Dublinoh's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardNew

Has anyone ever seen a failure in the stock mounts?

I've tracked my car and also run autocross events for the last decade and never had an issue.

Richard Newton
Turbo Tie Rod Ends

My car had a failure, but PO had installed a larger rear sway bar. I was told that failures were fairly common when the rear sway was replaced by a larger stiffer unit.