Quote:
Originally Posted by MudMud
I'm probably the only idiot this has happened to, naturally.
Is it OK to drive with it like this for a bit until I have time to get it welded back together or is this more of an urgent thing?
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Don't worry about it, I think you just got unlucky.
You can probably drive safely with it unrepaired for a bit, HOWEVER:
Its just the body of your car, understand that if you drive with it will be harder to fix in the future. It may spread and it will get dirty and rust on the inside, meaning it will take longer to prep properly. Also, if it gets wet, it will let water inside the car, which can cause anything from mildew to serious electrical problems.
Currently, this may be a 1-2 hr fix for a competent autobody welder, especially if you pull the carpet beforehand, but if it spreads and rusts, then you may as well be looking at a cut and patch (rather than just grinding a bit out and rewelding it), which could be 5+ hours for a good job.
If it was me (and I didn't have a welder/couldn't weld) I would take it to an autobody shop/ local welder and ask them for an estimate to run a bead down the crack. Most welders will not charge for less than half an hr, but unless the damage is more serious than you can easily see in the pictures, it shouldn't be a hard fix. I would expect a quote somewhere from 30 - 100 dollars depending on how much actually needs to be done. Personally, I would wire wheel it clean, fold the inside carpet back, and run 1 bead right between the two metal sheets. Then after it cools, bang on the pinch weld with increasing force and see if it cracks. Finally, I'd keep my eye out for water just to make sure it was properly sealed. Wouldn't take me more than 1 hour (and I'm not a pro fabber.)