Rear crossmember
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 816
Likes: 1
From: Finland
Rear crossmember
I will soon take out my rear end and put it an other rear end that I have rebuild during the winther - when you take of the crossmember it is bolted from both ends to the frame; is it so that you just open the nuts by laying on the floor and you need NOT to hold the bolts somewhere up in the cockpit...and rip the carpet away? 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,672
Likes: 1
From: New Cumberland PA
Originally Posted by shafrs3
The nuts are in welded in the frame outside of the interior, no danger of ripping the carpet.
I dropped mine last year. The crossmember normally will not just fall out. Remove the bolts and then tread them back in 3 or 4 turns so the rear will not come crashing down. I used a long screw driver to try and break it free but that was useless. I then bought a 3' crowbar. With that amount of leverage it didn't take much pressure to pop it free.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
remove the bolts about 1/2 way and then use two large chissels working one side at a time. Wedge one chissel in front of the bolt between the crossmember and frame and one behind the bolt.
With a big hammer tap back and forth driving the chissels in.
Acts just like a pickel fork.
With a big hammer tap back and forth driving the chissels in.
Acts just like a pickel fork.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 769
Likes: 0
From: NorCal 71 Lt-1
Originally Posted by norvalwilhelm
remove the bolts about 1/2 way and then use two large chissels working one side at a time. Wedge one chissel in front of the bolt between the crossmember and frame and one behind the bolt.
With a big hammer tap back and forth driving the chissels in.
Acts just like a pickel fork.
With a big hammer tap back and forth driving the chissels in.
Acts just like a pickel fork.
this is the technique i used to get that stubborn crossmember out and it worked great!
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Instructor
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by SwedeAWACS
Rich is spot on!Go with the 2-jaw gear puller. I borrowed one free from "Auto Zone" Took a matter of seconds after I fussed for an hour with a crowbar
Swede
The puller seemed to be the safest and easiest for me. I had a really hard time with a prybar...I thought the car was going to come off the jackstands at times when I really had some force on it. Then I used the puller...two minutes later the crossmember was off.