This can't be good!, Car is separating around hell hole Options

[Steve]

This can't be good. The seam is separating under the battery and under the right side of the engine lid support. I also noticed a crack above the GT chassis stiffener on the same side. I searched everywhere else in the area and it looks fine. I wonder if its rusting out from the inside? Any ideas on what this means? Do I need to pull the motor to fix it? Replace the whole section or just weld it up?
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)
Here are the pictures.

[burton73]

I noticed when I put my GT stiffing kit on the right side of my car first that the gap opened up a little like you are showing. This if not treated right, this will give a place for water to run down and get rust to form. I cleaned it out with and air tool with different wire wheels and then sprayed a zinc weld primer and hammered it down to match the other side and made a few welds. Finishing up with seam sealer so any water in the future will not get in there.

As far as now, the bottom side will be easer to fix with out taking out the engine. Just clean the shit out of the surface and I think you can grind a groove to widen the crack and lay a weld across it to fix it.

You could put a second bigger patch over that if you wanted to double up on the strength


Bob B