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  1. #1

    Default Did my upper torque box pull away from the body or is this normal?

    While prepping to install torque box reinforcements, I noticed that there is a slight gap between the (red circled) metal and the body. Seems weird that this tab would not be welded to the body.

    At first, I thought it must be damage/it pulled away from the body. But it doesn't appear to have the telltale uneven ripping that usually see when a frame part seems to have ripped away. It has a uniform 1/8" or so gap the length of that tab. Also, I don't see any weld marks and both driver and passenger seem to have the same exact gap in the same places.

    I'm really hoping someone can tell me this is just normal since all suspension components, wheels, etc are off and I doubt I could get an experienced frame guy to come to my house.Name:  IMG_7261.jpg
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  2. #2
    FEP Super Member
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    Normal .
    Nothing to worry about .
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  3. #3

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    The only thing normal about it is the fact that Ford failed to put a few spot welds there. Compare it to the one on the other side of the car. When I wrecked my Torque boxes I noticed that the passengers side box was missing a few spot welds that the drivers side one had.
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  4. #4
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Call it a Friday afternoon quality problem..... add the reinforcements and burn them in!

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Zap's 85 GT View Post
    The only thing normal about it is the fact that Ford failed to put a few spot welds there. Compare it to the one on the other side of the car. When I wrecked my Torque boxes I noticed that the passengers side box was missing a few spot welds that the drivers side one had.
    Yeah, both sides don't have the spot welds. Everything looks solid like that gap was by design and not pulled away. Strange.

  6. #6
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Ford did not pass out checks on the line until after lunch. Aft shift pay day was Thursday, day shift Fri.
    Ford was savvy when workers got paid before lunch, they may not come back for balance of shift.

    Missed welds could have happened any shift, any day. Goes for any other part of car too.
    Especially if dept was shorthanded that shift, or trainees could not keep up pace: 'In the hole'.
    Rarely slowed the line down unless short too many workers.
    Not now. Cameras catch missed or bad welds, reject unit or may shut down the line.

    Shift change. Line restarted, missed unit (s), late to restart weld station.
    Robot welder issue. Ran out of wire, tips, program glitch or something.
    Someone caught it later. Maybe quickly, maybe next shift, next day, next week. Say an intermittent problem.
    Aint gonna bottle up the line for very long to repair something non-critical? small like that.
    They would fix the welder, let some missed units go may or may not catch and fix all later.
    Plant not set up on line to repair weld many, if any at all, there or later on line or in repair bays.

    If done by hand, same thing.
    Bad day, bad attitude, trainee, break time no one to cover station, equip issue, late for work, no cover.
    Can tell if hand welded. Robots welds are pretty smooth and consistent, hand weld has inconsistent look.
    Last edited by gr79; 08-06-2018 at 03:28 PM.

  7. #7

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    I'm gonna have to check mine just for the heck of it.
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  8. #8
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    Off topic, but I heard Tesla was eliminating 300 "non-essential" spot welds from the Model 3 to speed up production.

  9. #9
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Default unibody body structural welds then and now

    Rather have more than not enough. Back then, did more to be on the safe side.
    Now they crunch data to find answers. Cost more to do that then keeping as is?

    The usual factory numbers game crap. Pay that much for a car and they skimp on welds to up profit margin.
    https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/30/1...t-robots-welds

    The opposite done on Mustang Cobra Jet body structure. Spot and stitch:

    Every modern Cobra Jet has started off from the same basic unibody structure as a regular production Mustang, spot-welded together in the Flat Rock plant. Looking back, the run of ’08 CJs was assembled in a Roush facility, while the ’10, ’12, and ’13 Cobra Jets were assembled right at the Mustang’s Flat Rock, Michigan, assembly plant. For the ’14 build, each body-in-white leaves Flat Rock and travels a few miles to a newly established Cobra Jet build facility at Watson Engineering, where every seam is completely stitch welded for the rigors of track use and an NHRA-spec roll cage is installed.

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