Crossmember battered but is it usable?
 

Been working on chassis straightening / bodywork for the last while and getting to the point of reinstalling/replacing/upgrading suspension.

Front crossmember has seen some rough times, is it usable in this condition?

Car was accident damaged / parts car so I've never driven it with this installed.

Thanks!

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Some will say no, some will say get it welded, and others will say replace.

It's usable, but if I did, I'd probably grind out that crack area and weld a few areas up. That's if I was on an extreme budget and could do all the work myself. In the grand scheme of an expensive restoration, it's a tiny cost and a pretty important part. In that situation I would find a nice replacement.

If it were me I think I'd replace it. You've gone seriously out of round at one control arm support, and on the other you've knocked away a good bit of structure around where the member bolts to the body.

They're $600 new from Porsche (Pelican) and I'm sure good condition used ones are out there for less.

You have two choices; use it as is, with all of its ugliness, or replace it.

Welding aluminum suspension components is not an option because the heat will ruin the temper. And some aluminum alloys like 7000 and 2000 series just aren't made to be welded.
If you do have it welded, it will crack right in the middle of the weld, as the untempered area is much weaker than the area outside of the heat affected zone.

Lay it on a flat surface and see if it's bent. Looks sketchy, I'd find another.

It is only a MAJOR component of the front suspension, steering and braking. What could possibly go wrong?

For me, I would replace it. I might look at aftermarket solutions, but a factory part is mot likely what I would look for.

Thanks for all the replies folks, I'll find a replacement. JC

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The earlier steel ones are substantially stronger and the weight difference is in a good spot. They do however also use a different protection pan.

Thanks for the suggestion. Will take a look.

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If you are on the ragged edge of your budget, I'd check for straightness as John suggests. Even then you might be able to use it, as the rubber bushings on the stock bushing part have some compliance to the extent that the front and rear bushings don't have to be perfectly co-axial. But it would be yet another strike against it.

Most of the loads to which this part is subjected are carried by the two big, vertical bolts into the chassis. Or where the adjuster contacts the cross member - where that steel button is (your pictures don't show that area, so I suppose that part looks OK). If there was a sort of punch through crack like the one you circled in the load path for the adjuster, that would be more concerning.

I'd be willing to drive a car with that piece in it if what we see is all there is. Not sure I would put it in a car of mine, though.

My first 911 had the narrow side of the slot the adjuster goes through broken - hence alignment etc all messed up and alignment shop wouldn't work on it. Another shop riveted a replacement piece in place, and it worked fine ever after. But that just keeps the adjuster (and the T bar) from moving toward the rear of the car - don't know why the adjuster didn't fall off. Not quite the same as having a torsion bar bushing bust loose.

In situations like this, among other factors one thing I consider is cost:

Cost of a new/used part

Cost if the part fails

Since a good used one is around $150, for me is a no-brainer to find another.

Along these same lines, if you put yours up for sale on Classifieds for $150, or even $100, would anyone buy it?

Good point. Would anyone here buy that one and use it on their car if they needed to. I sure would not.

My life is worth more than a couple hundred bucks. It’s not a trim piece. It’s a structural suspension mount.

That's not a crossmember, that's a tool rack. For not-so-heavy tools. IFyanowhuduhmeen...

Good post Matt. And not only your life. Your passengers' lives and the people on the road right beside you.

Thanks to everyone who replied, this forum makes my project possible.

A perfect condition used one is on its way to me. This one will never see another mile.

@Coblue - a tool rack is exactly what I decided to use it for [emoji106]

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^^^^yup this^^^^^

Ivan

Put it up on your shelf of FUBAR parts. Buy another one.

If you live long enough you will have a couple of rows of that kinda stuff.

Great minds ...

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