Stress cracks in 27K mile, 0 Stories 05 GT


Joe Dozzo

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May 22, 2006
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Just completed our trip back from Anchorage AK, about 7000 miles round trip and every mile an absolute joy. Car performed flawlessly every second and every mile - rain, snow and shine. And plenty of each. 12 hrs yesterday from Boise to Denver and it rained hard almost 8 hrs, snowed almost 2 hrs from Vail to Idaho Springs well east of the Eisenhower Tunnel.

But I digress. Spent several hours washing and detailing the car today and noticed two parallel stress cracks on the passenger side door pillar - back of door, ahead of the clamshelll. Each is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long.


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Anyone else with miles on their cars see these?

Just how concerned should I be...
 

twobjshelbys

GT Owner
Jul 26, 2010
6,053
Las Vegas, NV
Wow, snow on the divide. It's right on time.
 

Joe Dozzo

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May 22, 2006
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Wow, snow on the divide. It's right on time.

Sadly, yes... Perhaps the most white-knuckled drive of the last 20 years for me!

But my wife and navigator observed the aspen were pretty!
 

Xcentric

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Jul 9, 2012
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Myakka City, Florida
Why are you calling those "stress cracks?"
 

Joe Dozzo

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May 22, 2006
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Why are you calling those "stress cracks?"

Because I don't really know what else might have caused them...

But I'm not married to it... If someone else has another / better explanation, I'm all ears... That's why I made the post...
 

Xcentric

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Jul 9, 2012
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To me, a stress crack is a flaw in a structural component. You went to Alaska. This looks like a mild swipe to the paint by...maybe a brown bear.

Anyway, looks like paint scratches. Are they emanating from below the paint?
 

Joe Dozzo

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May 22, 2006
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Not a bear, but a moose...

http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/wild...walk-inches-from-this-alaska-mans-car-window/

Seriously... I can't tell exactly how or where the cracks originate but they appear - to my untrained eye - to be far more than mere scratches. They both catch your fingernail when rubbing across them; admittedly, as could a mere scratch. I can also say "they don't buff out"...

I'm not an automotive engineer and I don't want to blow this out of proportion... But it's my experience cracks in paint just don't appear without some underlying cause. I'm hoping to learn more about potential causes, similar experience from other GT owners...
 

Sinovac

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Jul 18, 2006
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Largo, Florida
I agree with Gary. Not only do they not remotely look like stress fractures, but there is no way you would have stress fractures at the pillar.
 

twobjshelbys

GT Owner
Jul 26, 2010
6,053
Las Vegas, NV
Sadly, yes... Perhaps the most white-knuckled drive of the last 20 years for me!

But my wife and navigator observed the aspen were pretty!

I was driving back from the Vegas Barrett Jackson a few years ago near the end of September towing my Cobra behind my truck. I hit a similar storm. They are actually east side upslopes. It was snowing on the Vail side and from the tunnel to Evergreen everything was covered in ice. It was heavily foggy and sleet. I went through a few bung-hole-pucker moments but made it. My point is that the basically winter starts there on the first day of fall.

Glad you made it safely!

Did you see the NFGTs on the road? They're probably still around. Would be interesting to see how they handle in the ice and snow :)
 

Joe Dozzo

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May 22, 2006
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I agree with Gary. Not only do they not remotely look like stress fractures, but there is no way you would have stress fractures at the pillar.

I certainly agree with the "shouldn't be there" idea... I get you don't like the notion of "stress cracks", what do you think might be the cause? I can safely rule out any bear / elk / moose or other wildlife contact.

Still anxious to hear if any other driven cars might have these or something similar.
 

twobjshelbys

GT Owner
Jul 26, 2010
6,053
Las Vegas, NV
Re the defect: Does it feel like it's separated? I think it looks like a scratch or perhaps a mar from a ring. (They are all over my cars (not the GT) from my wife's rings). A little bit of fine polishing compound on a damp rag might be worth a try.
 

Joe Dozzo

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May 22, 2006
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I was driving back from the Vegas Barrett Jackson a few years ago near the end of September towing my Cobra behind my truck. I hit a similar storm. They are actually east side upslopes. It was snowing on the Vail side and from the tunnel to Evergreen everything was covered in ice. It was heavily foggy and sleet. I went through a few bung-hole-pucker moments but made it. My point is that the basically winter starts there on the first day of fall.

Glad you made it safely!

Did you see the NFGTs on the road? They're probably still around. Would be interesting to see how they handle in the ice and snow :)

Sorry but no I didn't see the NFGT's. With new tires, might not have been so exciting as with 7000 mike versions!
 

Sinovac

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Jul 18, 2006
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I certainly agree with the "shouldn't be there" idea... I get you don't like the notion of "stress cracks", what do you think might be the cause? I can safely rule out any bear / elk / moose or other wildlife contact.

I think a Yeti tried to grab your car as you passed by. You have the easiest color to touch up. Fill in the scratches, have a beer and forget about it.
 

DakotaGT

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Dec 9, 2012
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Sioux Falls, South Dakota
I would get the correct color touch-up paint, either single-stage, or base coat and then plan on a thin layer of clear coat after. "Fill" in the cracks and leave the level slightly high. When cured enough (a day or two later) lightly sand until level, with some 2000 grit sandpaper or emery cloth, then polish with some Meguiars Scratch-X or Ultimate polishing compound. If you have done it right, it should be unnoticeable. If you have NOT done it right, then you should have called a professional. Be careful not to burn through the factory clearcoat on the surrounding area. Consider having some Xpel film installed afterwards, to prevent further such occurrences.
 
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fjpikul

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This was a used car I think. No accident history?
 

Empty Pockets

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I hesitate to suggest this, but, those remind me of 'bondo' cracks. You don't suppose there may have been a very slight cosmetic defect discovered at that location back when the car was 'being born' and it was addressed in that manner for whatever reason??? (I seem to recall you're the car's original owner.)

'Going to my room now...
 

Joe Dozzo

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May 22, 2006
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This was a used car I think. No accident history?

Correct, this was a previously owned car, I sold my original black 06 and later replaced it with this white 05.

Bought it from the most reputable source in our little GT world (a consignment sale for another of our most esteemed colleagues). If there was any accident history, Ford do not know about it and none was disclosed to me.

That said, the "two cracks of unknown origin" do seem to be suspiciously close to where the roof cap might be mated / bonded to the body. I don't profess to know how those pieces are "joined", heliarc, chemical bond or something else... Perhaps it's possible that "join" has weakened just a little?

There's no doubt the car was shaken going over some of the washboard on the AlCan... Unfortunately I only noticed these yesterday and cannot really pin the "when" down with any certainty.

Thanks Sinovac and Dakota - I think I'll hold off on the touch-up; on the passenger door, they are kinda "out of sight, out of mind" and I'd like to know how / when / if they further develop before deciding just how to repair them. Touch-up could well be a viable option if they don't grow any.
 

GTdrummer

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Mar 13, 2010
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So called stress cracks have been common in cars for years. Gen 1 Vipers had hood cracks of 1-2 inches -- some pretty bad. I had them on a 95 and had them repaired locally. Yours look fairly tame by comparison but that's easy for me to say.
 

FlagstaffGT

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Looks like cracks that I posted here that are on my front bonnet, that I could probably have gotten fixed under warranty. A function of hand painting, part of the character and uniqueness.
 

Ed Sims

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Apr 7, 2006
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NorCal
Where you in Anchorage Joe? I bet everyone enjoyed seeing the GT on the road there. I think there are 3 other GTs in Anchorage but they hardly ever get driven I think. Flatrod knows more about them.

Ed