Stitch Or Seam Welding

[KE70Drifter]

I have a 1984 KE70 corolla that im slotting a 300bhp 4AGTE into, the car is cleaned down to base coat and mates suggested that i weld the chassis to improve rigidity. I was wondering what is better....

Seam or Stitch?

I want durability as well as strength.

Iain

[Steve-AE86]

there's a difference?

[Dorio86]

Stitch welding is done to improve rigidity. (WARNING: Too much stitching can cause stress cracks on the chassie)

Seam is seen a lot in japan, this is done because the chassie is very warne(drifting can put a lot of strain), so they seam weld to get that "better then when it came out of the factory feeling"

What improves really well which I have seen in rally cars is welding a cage to the suspension points, but Im not sure if thats legal for the street.

[KE70Drifter]

I dont know much so dont start bagging me, i thought stitch was leaving gaps between welds, and seam was leaving no gaps.

Iain

[mattysshop]

i think any stich welding would help..make them an inch or 2 apart do that and maybe a cage..

[Medwin_3sGTE_AE86]

Use a combination... U can use both... It should be obvious what works where the best...

[mattysshop]

just a quick mention though..if you ever crash it..you better have a new shell sitting there..if you go nuts with the stitch/seam welding..it will be unrepairable in a decent bingle..

[gottago]

wats welding worth for an ae86? and what are the important area's? people say do important area's only but i couldnt find out what they are..

anyone know any places in sydney they would recomend to weld the chassis?

would it still be worth it to stitch weld with no cage? the new NSW laws say no 6 point cages nemore.. half cage still be feasable?

[JDM SEEKER]

seam welding is 1 constant weld
stitch welding you leave gaps, normally 1in weld 1/2in gap & so on

if you develop a crack with a seam weld it will continue the full length of the weld before long.there is nothing to stop it.
i have seen whole chassis rails come off.

with a stitch weld, if you get a crack it will stop at the that weld.then it has to start to crack again.

both will stiffen the body but stitch welding is a better option.

[redsprinter]

yeah i was also wondering where in nsw i could get my sprinter welded as well

[mattysshop]

hire a mig welder and go for gold.. learn by doing..

[balistic]

I dont think you would ever run a single long weld along a seam, it would warp the crap out of the body. A continuous seam weld on a car would most probably be made up of a lot of short stich welds joined together to minimise the heat transferred into the metal. You would stitch weld, then go back over and fill in the gaps with more stitch welds.

[Billzilla]

Sticth welding is also much better in an accident, as the series of welds lets go progressively, not with a big bang like a continuous weld.

[bahnugget]

as above im also curious as to which areas are more important to weld than others.. im guessing around the strut towers/shock mounts is particularly important?

[keiichi]

by chassis you meen the shell right, seeing as they are different. i dont see any point in welding the chassis but the shell, yeh sounds good. btw when you stitch it do it at opposite/farthestaway points at a time. for eg. if your welding around the strut top you stitch at these points in this order - 12oclock 6oclock 9oclock 3oclock.... etc you catch me drift

[Brendo]

i wouldnt mind seeing some pics of some stitch welding if anyone has some