Front crossmember stress bar

[treed2@u.washington.edu (T. Reed)]

Eric,

The V-bend looks like an interesting idea, let us know how it works. How
do the brackets at the side attach? They don't appear to be connected to
anything in the pictures..

I'm still trying to re-evaluate my bar now that my brain has been
flipped upside down as far as which motor mount goes which direction.

Personally, I think the only way to convince the "doubters" on the list
would be to build a bar strong enough that you can jack the car up from
it. (I have some ideas about how to do this but the bar would weigh more
than twice as much..) Fortunately, what other people think isn't too big
of a concern for me, unless they can show that they're right.

My favorite solution to the cracked crossmember problem is to drill out
the spot welds holding in the crossmember, remove the crossmember, get two
uncracked ones from junkyard cars (pre-84 would be preferable, apparently
the metal used was superior), seam weld them together and weld them back
in to the car. That is the "ultimate" repair, in my book. Stock-looking,
using stock parts, very strong, and very expensive and very painstaking.

But bolt in bars are "easy", and you can't have it all.

Anyway, good luck w/your bar..

-Toby

On Sat, 8 Mar 2003, Eric S wrote:

> Hello all!
>
> Alot of people have been working on this I know...and one bolt together bar is in testing.
>
> However, I now have a prototype of a fully welded bar...more tweeking continues.  It will be FULLY bolt in.
>
> Work continues this week, should have a ready to bolt in bar to test on ALL of my A1 chassis vehicles (see my sig...only A1 chassis I am missing is a Mk1 Jetta).
>
> Price *should* be $100 plus shipping, fully welded, 3/16s steel (box and plate steel used..the box steel has 3/16s walls and is inch square outer diameter (IE, strong as hell).  However, the plate steel will allow for side flex to not load the front motor mount with cornering forces...this bar is designed to control upward movement ONLY).  Bar will come bare or primed based on request.  Powder coating, and other options will be available for higher cost.
>
> Here are pics (again, this is a very very rough prototype):
>
> http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/~blklace/BAR/
>
> Please let me know if you are interested...and general feelings of its construction.  Realize, I am attempting to make a universal bar for all A1 chassis, hence some compromises were made in its design.
>
> (and damn are there alot of little annoying differences on A1 chassis cars throughout the years)
>
> I am fully confident that it will not allow the crossmember to flex upward at all however, no matter what A1 chassis it is bolted to.
>
> --
> Eric
> Northglenn, CO
>
> 79 VW Iltis
> 81 Scirocco S (*TDI* swap and complete restoration in holding pattern)
> 81 Rabbit Truck LX Diesel (Waiting for BAE Turbo Install)
> 83 Scirocco Wolfsburg
> 91 Cabriolet (2.0 Crossflow 8v swap and mechanical rebuild in progress)
>
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