Front cross member needed badly

JBill said:
There seem to be mixed messages here. Either they're nearly impossible to find or at Hershey you'll trip over them. I'm no metal worker, but if things get desperate, would it be possible to cut out that section of the pictured crossmember and weld in a piece shaped to fit? Talented metal workers can do some pretty amazing things. It could be reinforced some underneath as long as that didn't interfere with the fit of the front spring.
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Like what was posted earlier at first glance they may all look like a Model A crossmember,would to me just a couple months ago.Thanks to Pluck I now know there were several variations. NOS ones on Ebay lately tend to be 1930-1931.
 
Kentmac said:
Does anyone know where I might obtain a front cross member for a 1930 pickup? Mine is cracked right in the middle and I would like to replace it rather than have it welded if possible. I know they are riveted in but could be removed by grinding and replaced with bolts. Any help would be appreciated.
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just send you pm with a number to call
 
37 Coupe said:
Like what was posted earlier at first glance they may all look like a Model A crossmember,would to me just a couple months ago.Thanks to Pluck I now know there were several variations. NOS ones on Ebay lately tend to be 1930-1931.
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I know they're different where the radiator sits, but didn't think they were much different where this damage is. But I'm not sure. Could be.
 
30-31 on the left 28-29 on the right.
 

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I would replace it. Then you can stop worrying the repairs did not hold. Think of using your car a long time...
 
I finally found one in Michigan that I may get later this week. Thanks to everyone for their advise about this. My next question is, how hard is it to get the old one off. I assume that I will need to remove both fenders. Can this be done with the engine in the vehicle? I suppose grinding the rivets off would be best approach though I haven't looked it over enough to know how difficult that would be.
 
Chisel off and drill out to remove rivets. I found rivets at a farm implement/equipment dealer and big flats rivet company sells rivets and gives instructions on correct install. Prime the lap before riveting.
 
Big Flats sells the right ones in a kit for Model A and other makes. Bolt everything together and remove one bolt at a time to install the correct rivet.Big Flats also sells the bucking bars and round rivet forming tools as well as others. Just plan on it taking awhile and get a second set of hands to help especially with an acetylene torch to heat rivet red hot and keep hot while forming.First thing you are supposed to do after it is red hot is hammer the rivet to swell in the diameter than keep red hot to form the head. Ideally the best scenario is a stripped frame on some sort of an anvil. I did this years ago on another year frame a 1939. Held the frame on a chain hoist wit a massive welding table as the anvil part and had individual blocks or whatever it takes to back up the force of the blow.Now I have non of this equipment at hand and would like to do the job again on my Model A.But Big Flats is sdefinitely where you need to get supplies and instructions.they even have a channel jack that fits inside the frame to hold the rivet but these could be made simple enough on a lathe. Again plan on taking your time remove a holding bolt and do one at a time.
 
Kentmac said:
I finally found one in Michigan that I may get later this week. Thanks to everyone for their advise about this. My next question is, how hard is it to get the old one off. I assume that I will need to remove both fenders. Can this be done with the engine in the vehicle? I suppose grinding the rivets off would be best approach though I haven't looked it over enough to know how difficult that would be.
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Be sure you get one for a 1930-31 rig because they are different than the 28/29.


Also, I would guess you would need to take the fenders off if you are going to put rivets back in. I don't think I took my fenders off on my coupe, because I just put bolts back in. I think I, like mentioned, used a chisel and drill to get mine out. If I remember they came out easy. But you do need to support the frame. Good luck.
 
Question on replacing the crossmember. Can the replacement be inserted into the frame rails without spreading them somehow? Never had to replace one but who knows what the next project wil need.
 
I found I did not have to spread them. But it may depend on what shape your car is in. If it had a bump in the past, may be sprung.
 
We just recently replaced one and did not need to spread the frame at all. We ground off the heads from the original rivets and drove them out. We used a Port-A-Power to hold the bucking bar on the inside of the frame as we set the rivets on the outside. We heated the rivets to dull red immediately prior to setting them.
 
Kentmac said:
Does anyone know where I might obtain a front cross member for a 1930 pickup? Mine is cracked right in the middle and I would like to replace it rather than have it welded if possible. I know they are riveted in but could be removed by grinding and replaced with bolts. Any help would be appreciated.
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Another one ebay #153244135028
 
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