trans crossmember

[dougs69c10]

Am I over looking something or Do I have to cut off or what ever the rivets in there and replace with grade 8 hardware???

[jsbgump]

Are you moving it or?????? If you are installing one yes use the grade 8 hardware

[dougs69c10]

well im removing it to move it so I can pull the motor tranny

[69_hafton]

Putting in an automatic? Die grinder, and an assortment of hammers, pry bars, chisels and punches really help out.

Edit: I did end up buying a foot long drill bit to drill the heads off the top rivets (unless your cab is off the frame). Once the bottom rivets were out, I put the drill bit into the rivet holes, and drilled the heads off the top ones - it takes a while, and is hard to keep the drill bit centered on the rivet head.

Or you can cut the manual cross member into 3 pieces for better access with the grinder to the top rivets.

[qksilver]

grade 5 is actually strong enough

[da-burb]

It will be easier to split the tranny from the engine than to remove the crossmember. Just my opinion.

[dougs69c10]

Originally Posted by da-burb

It will be easier to split the tranny from the engine than to remove the crossmember. Just my opinion.

alrighty then, on the sides near the bottom do those bolts feed from the inside or they just dowl pins?


its a granny 4 speed attached to a 250

[shifty]

ieasiest way to get out...

cut the center piece out.
cut the remainder to two individual pieces.
take a sawzall to the rivet heads.
beat the four small pieces off with a hammer.

so many people told me to die grind or air hammer/air chisel off the rivets, but my air hammer must have sucked, didn't work with crap.

my destruction:

[extd56]

I jacked up the cab and took a grinder to cut the rivets out. It needed new cab mounts anyway.

[dougs69c10]

Originally Posted by shifty

ieasiest way to get out...

cut the center piece out.
cut the remainder to two individual pieces.
take a sawzall to the rivet heads.
beat the four small pieces off with a hammer.

so many people told me to die grind or air hammer/air chisel off the rivets, but my air hammer must have sucked, didn't work with crap.

my destruction:

all that would be great and dandy if 1 the cab was off the truck, 2 I still NEED to keep the crossmember in one piece

[kingsolver72]

I used a grinder to grind the rivets and a hammer and punch to remove the rivets to the manual x-member.(no need to cut the xmember)I of course had everything powder coated before I put the automatic x-member in,i did used grade 8 bolts.

[72armyswbtruck]

Anyway you go at it, it's a pain in the rear

[shifty]

my cab was on the truck when i did it you can see it in the picture. honestly, depending on what crossmember you have, i'd just buy one from a member here and cut the old one out. i have a spare automatic tranny crossmember i bought from another member with all new grade 8 poly-lock hardware i'll sell you if you need it. it's not the same one you see above. it's been fully blasted and painted.

you have no easy task on your hands to keep that thing intact if your cab is on. those top rivets are a BEAR. you'll need to lift the cab to access them if you wanna do it the "easy way".

this is easily done by unbolting the cab mounts, getting a jack and two pieces of wood (4x4s work nicely) seat the wood vertically in the floor jack to lift the cab, then use the other piece of wood as a "jack stand" of sorts. you can lift the cab enough to do one side at a time.

grind or cut the rivet head off, then take a punch and hammer (or air hammer w/punch) and punch the rivet out from the side you ground/cut it. i suppose you could chisel or (air hammer w/chisel) the other side of the rivet to peel it out, but ... either way, it's a pain

getting my crossmember out was one of the single most pains in the ass i dealt with on my truck. i would have never gotten it out in one piece. removing the rear one to put in my tank was much easier, lots more room

[qksilver]

I use a torch carefully and then a big punch and a even bigger hammer, a pain anyway you look at it.

[shifty]

i've heard at least one other person swear by the torches - those rivets are steel or lead or something and are supposed to melt right out?

[ChevyDude]

Shifty...I did mine just like you did....Dewalt sawsall and about 4 blades! My cab was on the truck bolted down tight.

[Oldschool68]

Yeah thats how I did it, used a grinder 80grit wheel and grind em flat then punch em out with a hammer!! Sometimes I had to use the drill to drill em out, well then again I pulled almost 75 rivets out of my frame and gonna replacing em with some strong stainless steel bolts after the frame has been powder coated Silvervain!! Oh yeah dont use a torch, in the earlier 1940's when those rivets where designed they use to be made out of some kind of nickle when you go to cut em they would just pop which they do! You take the chance of wearing a 40+ year old melted rivet on your skin its up to you!!