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ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: captchee on July 18, 2008, 06:13:35 AM

Title: body panels
Post by: captchee on July 18, 2008, 06:13:35 AM: Ok so today I ordered a new top for my 89 sidekick . Old top was just shot .
Seems my kick was re painted but only up to the lines of the soft top LMAO :-\ ?????? :-X

Luckily its still white , just a different, darker white .
Any way thatâ€™s not the issue . What I found was that I have cracks where the body panels where joined .
Both sides of the crossover support as well as at both joints where the supports above the doors join the windshield .
Was this common ? If not what caused this to happen , ? Bad body mount bushings maybe ?
They seem good but ???
Since I will be re painting the kick , hopefully within the next year or so , can I tig weld these up ?
If so is there any real reason why they cant be fully welded over just spot welded .
im thinking there is no reason but i want to be sure
Title: Re: body panels
Post by: Jeremiah on July 18, 2008, 09:57:22 AM: Pics please.
Title: Re: body panels
Post by: captchee on July 18, 2008, 01:26:48 PM: sure here you go , drivers side windsheld

(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y242/captchee/scout/DSC00684-1.jpg)

drivers side back cross suport

(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y242/captchee/scout/DSC00683.jpg)

passanger side front window

(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y242/captchee/scout/DSC00685.jpg)

passager side back cross suport
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y242/captchee/scout/DSC00686.jpg)
Title: Re: body panels
Post by: beercheck on July 18, 2008, 01:31:12 PM: Have you been jumping that thing?
Title: Re: body panels
Post by: Uncivilized on July 18, 2008, 04:02:38 PM: I can't see driving or even wheeling stress causing that... check it over, seems to me it was in a colision.
Title: Re: body panels
Post by: captchee on July 18, 2008, 04:09:54 PM: no , no jumping . I just got it about 2 months ago though so who knows what the PO did .
yes i believe its been in an accident . the front fenders and doors have been replaced as has the hood .
these cracks however seem to be coming right from spot welds .
i spoke with a body shop today and they said . nothing to worry about , just tig them up .
the looked at other areas and found no cracks . down lower in the body .
they fellla ask me if possibly it had been used by a teenager and thus maybe folks had set up on top ???

i do believe its been wheeled hard at one time . right after i got it i couldnâ€™t get rid of a vibration .
finally after crawling under it and looking at the drive line , i found that the trany cross member was so bent up that the trany was rubbing on the body tunnel
Title: Re: body panels
Post by: captchee on July 18, 2008, 04:18:02 PM: my concern is after looking at other welds on the body , non of which are completely welded , i wonder if there is a reason why or if its simply the way the factory put them together
Title: Re: body panels
Post by: Trackin_Tracker33 on July 18, 2008, 07:40:25 PM: I checked my 96 today after looking at this forum and found the same thing. Not as nearly as bad but its visable. I have never jumped the truck of even wheeled to extremely hard.
Title: Re: body panels
Post by: wilderness on July 19, 2008, 05:35:40 PM: If i were you I would slice the cracks with a cut off wheel. Then cut a square of flat bar and where you can, weld that flat bar on the inside of the crack and then come back and fill in the weld on the outside. That way you can grind down the weld on the outside and make it look good under your paint.

And if you can see the flat bar from the inside, turn the square point up so it looks like a diamond, that will make it look like a cool gusset
Title: Re: body panels
Post by: captchee on July 20, 2008, 03:36:55 PM: i think ill just have abody shop fix them .
im not real good at tig . i can AC and arc but neather would be sutable for this i think
thanks for the posts fellas