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Centre cross-member replacement.
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:16 pm
by vanman
Hello everyone. I do welding and restoration work on classic cars, mainly VW's, and i wondered if you could help me with some advice. I've been approached by someone who needs the centre cross-member replaced on his saloon. I'm guessing this sort of thing is second nature to you guys, but I've never worked on Minors before and was wondering how involved this job is. Does anyone have any advice, things to look for/avoid and how long roughly should it take to replace and how much would you expect to pay for the work? Thanks in advance. vanman
Re: Centre cross-member replacement.
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:45 am
by Fingolfin
Have a look through this thread:
http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... rossmember. It's only two pages and has most of the information you'll need.
Originally crossmembers were spot-welded in across the floor, and careful cleaning of the floor will reveal the spots, which can then be drilled out. Once loosened from the floor, it's just a matter of cutting it away from the sills. I would suggest welding in a temporary crossmember between the sills, either above or below the floor, to keep the shape of the car. The new crossmember goes in just the same as the old one, but when I put my new one in, I gave it seam welds where it touched the floor and sills -- that's your choice.
Were I doing the job for someone else, I'd ask between $300 and $500, assuming they buy the new crossmember too. In pounds, that's between £200 and £350.