56 Ford Cross Member bad

Not an uncommon problem. They were bad on my '56 and the parts car I had; the parts car looked good but they often rot from the inside. Got the new one on ebay.

Aug08NewXmember4.jpg
 
You will need an acetylene cutting torch outfit, a mig welding or Lincoln arc welding outfit, a new repro crossmember, floorjack and jackstands as needed.
Remove the four bolts (two on each side) that hold the front bumper to the frame side rails. Remove the bumper and brackets as an assembly.
Bend the tabs where the crossmember passes thru the slots on the frame side rails so that the tabs are pointing straight out 90 degrees or perpendicular to the side rails.
Remove the two bottom radiator mounting bolts, springs & washers.
Remove the large nut at the bottom of the front engine steady-rest and its associated rubber block and metal retainer.
Remove the nuts on both the suspension A-arms behind the crossmember.
Remove the bottom stiffener bracket in the middle of the front splash pan.
Use the torch to burn off the welds that attach the crossmember to the frame side rails on both sides.
Get a house jack or pipe jack long enough to fit between the inner channel of the frame side rails. locate the jack as far forward as possible just behind where the inner rails are straight. use the jack to slowly spread the rails apart while watching for welds that might still be holding the pieces together. It may be necessary to torch out some portions of weld during the jacking process.
Spread the rails apart till the tabs have cleared the frame side rails, then use a sledgehammer to knock the old crossmember out toward the front.
 
After the old crossmember is out, it will be necessary to knock the two old suspension pins out of it and re-use in the new crossmember as it is not supplied with new pins.
I suggest screwing in a nut of same thread to mate with pins. Screw it in till the head of the nut is flush with the end of the pin then back out one full turn so that the hammer will not damage end of pin. It is likely that the nut will be ruined by the hammering, so DO NOT use the original nuts for this operation. After pins have been knocked out of the crossmember, clean any rust off the pin and lubricate thoroughly with lubriplate before inserting into the new crossmember.
I suggest spraying a heavy coat of primer and then enamel paint on the inside of the new crossmember to prevent rust.
 
There are two weepholes for water runoff at the top of the crossmember. those holes are directly above the suspension pin inner tubes inside the crossmember. I suggest getting a glob of "duxseal" and plastering some over the top of those holes to prevent water from running down inside the crossmember.
 
Some of the repro parts sales outfits like Mac's and Concours used to sell the repro crossmember, but I have not looked recently to see if they still offer them.
 
Also, drill a hole or 2 on the bottom to get rid of any water that accumulates.
The replacement cross member mentioned by Jeff, fit like a glove. Perfect.
 
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