Torsion Bar Crossmember Anchor CARNAGE-Where to get new one?

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DemonK9

DemonK9

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Luseland,SK CANADA
Passenger side torsion crossmember anchor let loose on me while driving along minding my own business a couple of weeks ago (obviously a closer inspection of underside of car condition should have been higher on my priority list!)

This is the mess I had found.......looks like someone previous "fixed" a section, compromising the structural integrity.

I am trying to locate a NEW A-Body crossmember (reproduction/NOS, etc), but I am having little luck....I can find tons of B & E body ones listed on Goodmark, AMD, Mopar Metal, Year One, etc, etc.
Does anyone know if the above carry the A-Body ones, and just not list them? I can get a used one & will be adding sub-frame connectors when it goes to the shop for repair.....but I would like to try and find a new one in Canada or shipping friendly to here.

Thanks in advance!


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2012-03-21143800.jpg
 
I have some nice used ones here I can cut out for you, pm me if ya need one.......Wagg's
DemonK9 said:
Passenger side torsion crossmember anchor let loose on me while driving along minding my own business a couple of weeks ago (obviously a closer inspection of underside of car condition should have been higher on my priority list!)

This is the mess I had found.......looks like someone previous "fixed" a section, compromising the structural integrity.

I am trying to locate a NEW A-Body crossmember (reproduction/NOS, etc), but I am having little luck....I can find tons of B & E body ones listed on Goodmark, AMD, Mopar Metal, Year One, etc, etc.
Does anyone know if the above carry the A-Body ones, and just not list them? I can get a used one & will be adding sub-frame connectors when it goes to the shop for repair.....but I would like to try and find a new one in Canada or shipping friendly to here.

Thanks in advance!


2012-03-21143902.jpg



2012-03-21143800.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Half of that crossmember on the pass side isn't even supported. The entire section that should be spot welded to the floor looks to have no attachment.

Take up waggs and get a fresh factory one and don't bother with the spot patch junk. Fix the floor while you are in there to get the attachment points back and supported.
 
Wow thats crazy. Hopefully everyone survived safely. I have made some torsion bar crossmember gussets, to help the common problem of the sockets twisting in the crossmember itself...but Im pretty sure these would not have helped in your case. As mentioned, talk to waggs and get a factory piece coming to you.

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IMG_0055.jpg
 
I think that might be to far gone for the safe-t cap from Autorust.com.
I'd talk to waggin about what he's got.

The safe-t caps slide over that section to stiffen it up. Not as a replacement. They are pretty hefty though. I had some small holes in mine I cut out were the holes were repaired and welded the safe-t caps in for more strength.
 
I don't have these removed from the car's yet but can put a rush on it since your in need,let me know and i'll git movin....Wagg's
 
I would take up Waggs on the replacement crossmember. Your existing one is not salvageable. My guess is that the other side is not far behind that one. I would then fortify the replacement. Don't forget to use a lot of welds when replacing the crossmember, many more than the few spotwelds that the factory used.
 
waggin said:
i don't have these removed from the car's yet but can put a rush on it since your in need,let me know and i'll git movin....wagg's
Click to expand...

PM sent



crackedback said:
half of that crossmember on the pass side isn't even supported. The entire section that should be spot welded to the floor looks to have no attachment.

Take up waggs and get a fresh factory one and don't bother with the spot patch junk. Fix the floor while you are in there to get the attachment points back and supported.
Click to expand...


I will be replacing the whole thing, and reinforcing the replacement, as well as sub-frame connectors,etc.

I have taken the interior out and the floor has patch panels in at front and is solid front to back.
The crossmember looks like is was welded in place to floor pan or attempted to be (but probably not as well as it should have been). The drivers side is showing weakening on bottom section, so I imagine this was the state of the passenger side before it fatigued and gave out.

Thanks to everyone for their help so far..........these forums and the members are 2nd to none!
 
This is a great example of why one cannot use a small thick patch welded to weak metal. There is a lot of torque applied to the cross member from the torsion bar when car is at rest on level ground, many times more force when car is under way. Often when a torsion bar lets go, it just twists free from cross member without gross distortion as in this example.

One reason I recommend the Safe t Cap repair is it is about a foot long, three sided, and spreads the forces over a much longer weld. As for spot welding cross member to floor pan hopping to significantly add structural integrity is not going to help much. It is about like nailing sheet rock to a stud to stiffen the framing up. If the floor pan was several gages thicker, I would agree, stiffening would be accomplished.

For this car to be correctly repaired a structurally sound used cross member must be located, or a less than pristine used member retrofitted with Safe t Caps used. I don’t believe new cross members for A Bodies are currently being manufactured. Hopefully some outfit will start producing new A body cross members, and we will no longer have to patch this very important structural member.
 
If amd ever builds one you can bet it will be good quality, every part I have installed from amd was of good quality with few modifications, to date the only modifications have been on the passenger sidw inner fender well, they do not have the resessed area for the overflow tank on the radiator and you can splice in one from your factory inner fender well to make a correct looking piece, other than that I rate them top notch......Wagg's
DemonK9 said:
Passenger side torsion crossmember anchor let loose on me while driving along minding my own business a couple of weeks ago (obviously a closer inspection of underside of car condition should have been higher on my priority list!)

This is the mess I had found.......looks like someone previous "fixed" a section, compromising the structural integrity.

I am trying to locate a NEW A-Body crossmember (reproduction/NOS, etc), but I am having little luck....I can find tons of B & E body ones listed on Goodmark, AMD, Mopar Metal, Year One, etc, etc.
Does anyone know if the above carry the A-Body ones, and just not list them? I can get a used one & will be adding sub-frame connectors when it goes to the shop for repair.....but I would like to try and find a new one in Canada or shipping friendly to here.

Thanks in advance!


2012-03-21143902.jpg



2012-03-21143800.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Thank's fish, I think that adding the plates to the torsion bar tubes should be commonplace for any performance application as well as daily drivers even when the metal is good, if he's ready to git his car ready to ride for the summer I will put a rush on it,if he's in no hurry I can slow down some...it's been hectic the last two weeks........Wagg's
FISHBREATH said:
I would take up Waggs on the replacement crossmember. Your existing one is not salvageable. My guess is that the other side is not far behind that one. I would then fortify the replacement. Don't forget to use a lot of welds when replacing the crossmember, many more than the few spotwelds that the factory used.
Click to expand...
 
very good advice!!! there are quite a few members that do way more than daily driving, a lot of members are adding subframe connectors,adding the safetcap before the subframe connectors might be the hot thing to do in perfromance applications.
wjajr said:
This is a great example of why one cannot use a small thick patch welded to weak metal. There is a lot of torque applied to the cross member from the torsion bar when car is at rest on level ground, many times more force when car is under way. Often when a torsion bar lets go, it just twists free from cross member without gross distortion as in this example.

One reason I recommend the Safe t Cap repair is it is about a foot long, three sided, and spreads the forces over a much longer weld. As for spot welding cross member to floor pan hopping to significantly add structural integrity is not going to help much. It is about like nailing sheet rock to a stud to stiffen the framing up. If the floor pan was several gages thicker, I would agree, stiffening would be accomplished.

For this car to be correctly repaired a structurally sound used cross member must be located, or a less than pristine used member retrofitted with Safe t Caps used. I don’t believe new cross members for A Bodies are currently being manufactured. Hopefully some outfit will start producing new A body cross members, and we will no longer have to patch this very important structural member.
Click to expand...
 
these plates shown by curly's racecars would be a good addition to a solid crossmember but add them front and rear and closer to the torsion bar anchor so as to be welded to the crossmember and the torsion bar anchor, in other words leave a gap and weld to the crossmember then make a second pass and weld to the torsion bar anchor. I ran pro figure eights on a 1/4 mile asphalt track and can tell you that it was working the suspension, iItried running with a sway bar but got quicker times and better handling with no sway bar might sound absurd but when I did that it did put more work onto the torsion bar anchors I feel.
curleysracecars said:
Wow thats crazy. Hopefully everyone survived safely. I have made some torsion bar crossmember gussets, to help the common problem of the sockets twisting in the crossmember itself...but Im pretty sure these would not have helped in your case. As mentioned, talk to waggs and get a factory piece coming to you.

IMG_0050.jpg


IMG_0055.jpg
Click to expand...
 
norshorblufish said:
I think that might be to far gone for the safe-t cap from Autorust.com.
I'd talk to waggin about what he's got.
Click to expand...
that's about the way my Scamp looked after the torsion bar mount let go, and we fixed it with the autorust parts.

But I'd still go with the factory parts that waggin has.
 
I finally got caught up and have the torsion bar crossmember out for you :) will be a nice replacement part for yours
 

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nice waggs!. is that the blair spot weld remover you got from me hard at work?lmao
 
I use it on some stuff but finding 3/16 drill bit and air chisel faster but nuthin beats the plasma cutter on the ones ya cant get with a drill
340plot said:
nice waggs!. is that the blair spot weld remover you got from me hard at work?lmao
Click to expand...
 
When I had the floor out of mine I boxed the cross member in. I welded in plates that fit down inside of the cross member and tied them into the torsion bar socket on both sides.Once the floor was reinstalled it looks completely factory but much stronger!
 
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