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Those exposed welds also struck me as odd but i think they make some sense if you consider the process of assembly and the technical requirements for this location.
The connection between the roof and the C-pillar need to be weather-proof and very strong. Most other joins between pieces of sheet metal on the car are made by tack-welding along two mating flanges. If these joins are exposed to weather the resulting joint is treated with seam sealer and then undercoated and/or painted. This process works just fine for the underbody and hidden locations but not on the top of the car where you are going to see it. Instead you make a continuous structurally superior weather-proof weld which seals the panels together with no holes or breaks.
There are, i think, at least one pair of locations where the factory did actually did the process i described above (tack and then seal seal) on the finished surface of the car. I think there is a bit of sealer sealer in the 1-1/2" joint between panels near the rear outside corners of the 4- door car below the tail-lights and above the bumper. You will also notice (if you have one of these cars and live in a northern climate) that after 15 years of damp rust tends to show up there.
So . . . the continuous weld might makes some sense. But, you might ask, why didn't they grind down that ugly (but waterproof, and structurally sound) weld at the factory? My guess is that grinding down the weld by itself does not allow for a perfect paintable surface. To make it aesthetically acceptable they would have had to putty/fill the area and then sand and finish by hand- expensive labour that would not be reasonable (or durable) on a mass produced car.
So instead, you just leave the weld and cover the mess with a plastic cap!
posted by 216.113.195...
, Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:43:46
, Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:45:55
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