K Series Wet Sump Refurbishment

[sbryer]

Just wondering if anyone out there has ever welded new sacrificial aluminum material onto the worn raised ribs on the underside of their sumps.

My sump is getting on a bit now and the raised rib material on the leading edge and an inch or so back has pretty much worn away to a point where it is almost flush.

I've had a go with my arc welder and some aluminum rods on an old damaged sump and have had an OK result in building up some material and then profiling it to the original shape.

Any thoughts on why this is a good / bad idea would be welcome.

Thanks

Steve

[SM25T]

Look at it another way ... have you checked the clearance under the sump with your weight in the car. Maybe you need to raise the ride height, or fit stiffer springs ?

[sbryer]

Yes, ride height checked and fine, all the suspension is original. Its just 20 years of driving over Surreys "finest" roads that have gradually taken their toll.  I was hoping to avoid paying the extortionate amount Caterham want for a new sump, when mine is perfectly fine apart from the wear on the ribs.

I figured that the ribs were designed to wear and protect the sump and that rebuilding them would be fine and also assumed that someone must of done something similar in the past.

[Paul Richards]

A number of people have had sumps repaired and taken the opportunity to have additional sacrificial material added. No problems.

[sbryer]

Thanks Paul.

[john milner]

Not heard of this before but sounds like a good idea provided it is truly sacrificial and does not just add a great glob of metal that makes a hit worse.