[s-cars] Crack in firewall, Steering Rack mount

[Tom Green]

Jim,

The brackets in Mark’s answer would be the best way to repair this problem.  Those fatigue cracks in the thin metal don’t respond to a simple weld repair without additional reinforcement.  The bracket will save a lot of fabrication time and provide a better repair overall.  You probably only need the drivers side bracket.  You didn’t say that it was the drivers side mount that is broken, but it is, isn’t it?

Tom

> On Mar 12, 2015, at 19:08 PM, "Jim Fleischer" <jim at almgt.com> wrote:
> 
> Hey guys, 
> 
> A few weeks ago, I noticed a click when turning the wheel...sounded like a relay "click" when it would happen, and it was intermittent, but often.  It ended up being a loose steering rack bolt that was "catching" on the firewall and making the sound.  So, I tightened the bolt and all was well until yesterday I heard the sound again, and I noticed a lot of flex in the mounting area.  Well, sure enough, the reinforcement area in the tirewell that had the loose bolt is cracked, and the firewall flexes about 5mm when turning the wheel.  So, I was thinking about taking the car to a welder/fabricator and having a piece made and welded in.  Anyone else BTDT and have some suggestions?  Thanks!
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Jim Fleischer
> '95 urS6 avant, needing some love