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Replacement crossmember (long post)




Hey Camron!

Yes, the crossmember is replaceable...its spot welded into the car...we
actually cut the crossmember from another car to use as our jig when
making the bars...its not really that difficult to remove or install for
anyone with minor welding tools/skill.  But, as you found, its kinda cost
prohibative.

Now, our first prototype bar went to Tobias out in California.  His cracks
were, and still ARE bad...but since having the bar on the car, none of his
cracks have spread, and he even decided not to bother to weld the cracks
shut after having the bar on and seeing that it does the job well.

If it was me in your situation...I'd weld the cracks, slap the bar on, and
forget about it.

-- 
Eric
www.vintagewatercooleds.com

79 VW Iltis
81 Rabbit Truck 2.0 16v
81 Scirocco S (TDI Swap project)
90 Corrado TDI
91 Cabriolet (2.0 Crossflow swap project)

Camron D. Crouse said:
> 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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