Tag: cross member
Preparing the New Rear Cross Members
by Garage Weasel on Oct.23, 2024, under Body Work
The outside corners on both rear cross members are rusted away, so I purchased new rear cross members from Wolfsburg West. These are very close to the original cross members on the car. The only thing that I wanted to change on them is to add a support plate over the holes where the bolts go through to the cross braces on the chassis. The originals had a plate like this, and it should be a fairly easy modification.
I cut out four pieces of 18-gauge steel to match the size of the original and bent them to match as well. I also dog-eared the tops of the pieces to remove the sharp edges. I drilled out two spot weld holes on each piece just in front and behind of the existing bolt hole. I then sprayed the areas between the plates with U-POL Weld #2 Zinc Weld Through Primer. Once centered, I welded the plates on and then ground down the welds.
I then cut out holes in the new plates and sprayed the weld areas with primer. The new cross member should now be ready for the fitting process.