Lower Belly Pan/crossmember repair.

Maymyvetteliveforever

Maymyvetteliveforever

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Feb 6, 2009
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Location
Ontario
Over the years I've done a lot of damage by raising the front of the car from the front crossmember and now need to repair it since the body is off. I was thinking of cutting out a section of 8"X14" and tig welding a new section in.

Questions;

Would you tig weld in one complete section or two since it's on a sort of bend?
What metal should I order, in other words, do I ask for cold rolled......what is the proper name?
What rod would you use?
Anyone know the thickness as I can only assume it's around 12 gauge?

IMG_2206.jpg



I found someone that did the same type of repair but did it in sections, is this the better way?

13.%20x-member%20repair.jpg
 
I'd be more concerned about the condition of the lower control arm mount... :shocking:

I would just weld a piece of 8x8", or whatever dimensions that spans the edge to edge, 0.125 plate to the center of the xmember and make a jack pad and be done... If you wanted to get fancy you could make it so that it mated securely to your floor jack...:beer:
 
Thanks for the reply 84rzv500r;

The lower control arm mounts are actually in good shape, I was going to fully tack weld them in place for added strength.

0.125 is equivalent to 11 gauge, thanks for the information, should I just ask for mild steel?

I need to replace about 8"X14" just to be on the safe side, it will involve a bit more cutting as well as welding but it will ensure a better cross member in the end.

The only rod I have is Stainless, which rod is best to use in this case?

I'm not sure how easy 10-12 gauge will be to bend as I'm unable to heat up the material. Do you think the way it's done in the lower photo is the best method? It involved a lot more tig welding and I don't know if it will be a stronger support overall.
 
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I think what he was saying is: aren't you missing the lower half of one of the mounts? :shocking:

I think it was over at CF that I saw a crossmember modified with a heavier plate so that it could be safely used as a jack point. If you're not worried about originality, it might be worth looking into.
 
Thanks for the reply Sam Cogley:

Ok, I get it............ due to the large crack in cross member underneath the lower control arm support I removed it. This way I can remove and tig weld a whole new section that spans around 14" across and then fully weld back in the lower control arm support.

Any answers to my previous questions would be appreciated as I'd like to purchase the metal and rod tomorrow.


I did a search on CF but couldn't find the thread in question. I quess I can post a thread and ask, but I find this forum very knowledgable when it comes to mods. No I don't care about NCRS.
 
Maymyvetteliveforever said:
Thanks for the reply Sam Cogley:

Ok, I get it............ due to the large crack in cross member underneath the lower control arm support I removed it. This way I can remove and tig weld a whole new section that spans around 14" across and then fully weld back in the lower control arm support.

Any answers to my previous questions would be appreciated as I'd like to purchase the metal and rod tomorrow.


I did a search on CF but couldn't find the thread in question. I quess I can post a thread and ask, but I find this forum very knowledgable when it comes to mods. No I don't care about NCRS.
Click to expand...

Any welding questions you have can be competently answered by Jody Collier at weldingtipsandtricks.com

He has free videos covering everything, including rod types, gas ratios (usually 75/25 for tig) etc.
 
7t2vette said:
Frank,

It would probably be a lot easier to weld in a new patch piece:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply Bruce;

I wanted to do the repairs this week and I wasn't sure when I would get that part so I went to Metal Supermarket and got 11 gauge mild steel enough to repair the cross member and repair a couple body mounts and one section of frame for $17.00. Princess Auto had ER 70S-6 welding rod in stock and I've got enough Argon to tig weld everything. If I have enough time I should be done repairs by Friday.

cocobolo said:
Any welding questions you have can be competently answered by Jody Collier at weldingtipsandtricks.com
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply Sam Cogley:

Thanks a good site, it's worth spending some time learning a few tricks.

I actually got the information via a fellow member "stpman" who told me which rod to purchase. Thanks Steve (stpman).
 
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