C2 Rear Suspension Cross Member

[George C.]

I have removed all the rear suspension on my 65 Roadster for cleaning, rebuild where needed and detailing. I am having trouble removing the cross memeber, so I can check the cushions remove all the old undercoating and paint it nicely to match the rest of the frame which I did last winter. Can anyone give me some ideas on how to remove the cross member??

Thanks as always,

George #36908

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 Rear Suspension Cross Member

George-----

It's almost always quite difficult to get the rubber cushions to seperate from the "sombrero brackets". If yours has been in there for a long while it will be that much more difficult.

The best way (and, only way that I know of) to seperate the cushions is to wedge a LARGE, THICK, LONG pry par between the welded-in crossmember and the removeable one and pry down with all the force you can muster. Eventually, the cushions will seperate and the crossmember will fall loose.

Make sure that after you remove the bolt going through each cushion, that you install a longer bolt fully into the threads. Otherwise, when the crossmember seperates, it will fall to the floor. With the bolts installed, the crossmember can only fall as far the bolts are long.

[George C.]

Re: C2 Rear Suspension Cross Member

Joe,

Thanks again for the response here, it is kind of like getting a bigger hammer!! I was concerned about destroying the sombrero brackets by putting too much muscle to it. I know liquid wrench or any of those things would probably make it worse by swelling the cushions. Great idea about the longer bolts, I was using jack stands to only allow it to fall a few inches. I will keep up the high pressure tactics.

George

[Mark F.]

Re: C2 Rear Suspension Cross Member

George:

I was advised to spray about a quart of WD-40 onto the cushions and let them soak for a short time before inserting the pry bar, as Joe recommends. Mine, on my '65 convertible, popped off after a few "umphs" on the pry bar.

Maybe not a quart, but a lot, just the same.

The crossmember will drop down. If you're dropping the whole assembly, have a floorjack in place beneath the pumpkin to catch it as it drops down.

Have fun with this, and be careful. There's a lot of weight involved here.

Mark

[Dick W.]

Re: C2 Rear Suspension Cross Member

If yours is like most that I have removed, be ready to expend a lot of "blood, sweat, and tears". The can be extremely difficult to remove. I have used the longer bolts, and penetrating oil referenced in the prior post, put the car on a lift, tied the X-member down to the floor, raise the lift to put tension on the X-member. Then would get a real long pry bar (60") and start prying while a helper would hammer on the bushings with a LARGE hammer. Eventually they will come off.

LOTSA LUCK

[Gary S.]

Re: C2 Rear Suspension Cross Member

Like Dick says, if the bolts are removed, you have 30+ years of corrosion holding that cross member in. When I had to remove the one on my 66, I kept checking to see what was holding it in. A BIG pry bar solved my issues and I still had to put all of my weight in it. Be prepared for a loud noise when it finally lets go.

Gary

[William V.]

Re: C2 Rear Suspension Cross Member

Make sure you use a bar long enough for your chin to clear the rear fender when it lets go. My 64 gave me a nice upper cut punch on the chin last week.

[Steve Vaughan]

There is an Easier Solution

I had good success with removing the crossmember on my 67 by removing the crossmember bolts, replacing with slighly longer bolts with a dimple drilled into the top of the head (to accept puller point) then using a two jaw gear puller to break the arm loose from the frame.

[Chuck R.]

Re: C2 Rear Suspension Cross Member

My very rusted 68s came out with very little effort after putting a steady strain against the crossmember and the frame and then nailing it with WD-40.

It WILL give and the effort will not be that bad.

DO be prepared for the sudden release.

If it's just the crossmember, I wrapped a couple of bungie cords around it to stop the downward drop after it popped free.

Like the others said, be prepared for the release and where you and the pry bar might end up when it does.

Also, make sure you wipe down the cushions after you get it out to stop the action of the solvent against the rubber.

Chuck

[Michael S.]

Check the welds

on the sombrero hats that are welded to the frame. Especially the left (drivers) side. They are VERY bad about breaking or cracking. Can't tell you how many I have seen with broken welds. Especially on Big Blocks.

Mike
#11202

[George C.]

Re: Check the welds

Thank you to all who have responded. From the looks of these answers, I can probably use a little WD-40 without ruining the cushions?? I have not bought new ones pending checking out what they look like after I get the Cross Member off. I need to go buy a bigger bar, and I need to work from a safe distance. All of this to make it look pretty!! It sure beats watching television!!

Thanks again,

George

#36908

[Michael H.]

KROIL

There is a MUCH better product than WD-40 on the market for loosening rusted fasteners and components. The name of the product is KROIL - I found out about it while working as a consultant at an aerospace manufacturing plant. Kroil makes several products for lubrication and removal.