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Replacement crossmember (long post)



This may have already been offered, but why not go to a salvage yard, and
get a good front core support (or radiator support as it is also know)?
Prolly 150.00 max, then you section that piece in instead.  As for them
never selling one from the dealer, I am not surprised, nor have I.  The
newest one of these cars is 15 years old after all, most folks if they fix
something that old will get the parts used...  Also, from what I hear, if
you have that front support installed, it makes the car feel more solid,
although I am fairly sure it will not help your suspension at all (but I am
no engineer, ;-))...

HTH

David Utley

-----Original Message-----
From: scirocco-l-bounces@scirocco.org
[mailto:scirocco-l-bounces@scirocco.org]On Behalf Of Camron D. Crouse
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 6:32 PM
To: Scirocco List
Subject: Replacement crossmember (long post)

So a few weeks ago I finally get around to checking my front crossmember
for cracks.... ho boy its *bad* -  the tissue around the motor mount
socket is nearly cracked all around, a mangled punch-through, with some
additional cracks father away as well.  The mount itself, is toast, as
well. So I immediately place an order for an A1 crossmember brace, from
Eric S Scirocco81... okay, three weeks to delivery, so I start thinking
about my options, and order some other tune-up items while I'm waiting.
Well my brace is nearly here, so yesterday I went around to a couple
alignment/underbody and frame shops in town for some repair estimates.
Had a hard time getting actual $ quotes, so am also taking into account
shops' hourly rate $.  (was showing photos from Eric's references
instead of my actual car)

One full-service frame shop I visited said that welding the crossmember
back together wasn't really the best option, and that I should
A) have the section replaced with a custom made crossmember, or
B) order a "new" factory crossmember from VW and have it installed.
(presumably with the crossmember installed afterwards)

WTF??  Order a new crossmember from VW?  Isn't that whole section of the
car like one welded-together piece?  Well, sort of, the tech said, but
that that they have done something similar with various cars (they are a
frame shop, after all).  The tech told me to come back later in the day
to talk to the owner, who was away from the shop for a couple hours, and
that he would have a better idea of how to proceed, and what it might
cost.

I was unable to come back later, but out of curiosity I did stop by the
VW dealership parts shop to find out about this crossmember replacement
hoo-haw.  Well, lo and behold, the crossmember component IS a part
offered by VW, which surprised me, as well as the parts guys looking it
up.  (I showed them a picture of the custom brace, and they were
impressed, and thought it was a great idea... actually it got positive
comments from the repair shops I visited as well.)
"$734.51," he says. Holy smoke, I knew this crossmember would not be
cheap if indeed available, but that is just completely out of  my
budget. "Okay, let me see here, " the guy on the computer says, and
after a moment fiddling with some items onscreen, "how about $586.61?
It'll take about 14 days , Our warehouse doesn't have any in stock"
What's this, I can negotiate my price on VW dealership parts???  That's
a first for me.

Pondering the surprising fact that it is a replaceable part, but still
reeling from the price, I told the guys I'd have to pass, at least for
now.  One of them said "Although your welds will end up stronger than
the surrounding metal if you repair what you have, I'd go with a new
piece if it were my car." Although friendly and otherwise knowledgeable,
they didn't really seem to know much about this being a common problem
with our Sciroccos.  I never got the impression they were just trying to
get my money, I merely  think they were trying to offer good advice...

So after some thought I'm still leaning towards my first plan: welding
up the existing crossmember, having the crossmember brace installed, and
new motor mount put into place.  Welds are strong, right ? ;)

Replacing with a stock crossmember, aside from the expense of the new
piece itself,  presents the additional problem and expense of  ( I would
presume) engine removal and replacement for a complex and lengthy stock
crossmember installation, (no doubt the factory new crossmember will be
just as brittle and susceptible to cracking  as the the one in my car
now - why spend ~$500 on another piece of junk?)

A custom made crossmember would be pretty cool,  but again, likely out
of my price range.  (Seems I read in the Archives someone had this done
and was pretty happy with the result.)  Besides, it would render the
$129 I spent on the custom brace somewhat moot, eh?

Another thing - this Scirocco has been wrecked, and though I've spent
quite a bit of money and energy on repairing the car back to its former
glory, I have a have a hard time justifying  spending more than I have
to on a car whose frame was at one time compromised.  I have been known
to replace worn-out stock items with aftermarket upgrades, but hesitate
to upgrade just for the sake of it for this reason.

If you've made it this far, hey thanks, I appreciate any input or opinions!

- Camron from Vancouver, WA USA
   '86.5 Black 16V 2.0L






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