Is this crossmember really necessary?
09-25-2017, 11:42 PM
#1
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Is this crossmember really necessary?
I'm building a custom 4 inch single exhaust for a 2003 regular cab short bed truck. So far it has Texas Speed headers and Y-pipe, with the Y is modified to open up to 4 inch.
The problem I'm having is that there is a curved round crossmember after the transmission crossmember that is making things difficult. The 4 inch pipe wants to run right through where the crossmember tube is.
See the picture below. It's an earlier year truck (not mine) but it gets the point across. I marked the problem crossmember in red.
Ideally I would like to remove it, weld a notch into it, or remove it and build a new crossmember that bolted to the bottom of the frame. Routing a 4 inch pipe around it is going to be a pain and expensive. I'd rather have a simple straight tube all the way to the rear axle.
So the question is, how important is it to the frame structure? Has anyone removed this crossmember to get better clearance for a large exhaust pipe?
The problem I'm having is that there is a curved round crossmember after the transmission crossmember that is making things difficult. The 4 inch pipe wants to run right through where the crossmember tube is.
See the picture below. It's an earlier year truck (not mine) but it gets the point across. I marked the problem crossmember in red.
Ideally I would like to remove it, weld a notch into it, or remove it and build a new crossmember that bolted to the bottom of the frame. Routing a 4 inch pipe around it is going to be a pain and expensive. I'd rather have a simple straight tube all the way to the rear axle.
So the question is, how important is it to the frame structure? Has anyone removed this crossmember to get better clearance for a large exhaust pipe?
Trending Topics
09-29-2017, 10:44 AM
#8
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well it's good to see that someone else has removed it. My thought was that it probably does help keep the frame rails more stable but it wouldn't be the end of the world if it was gone.
I got lucky and didn't have to modify mine at all. After getting the tail pipe installed and test fitting my intermediate pipe, I was able get the 4 inch pipe past the crossmember with about a 1/2 inch of clearance between.
I got lucky and didn't have to modify mine at all. After getting the tail pipe installed and test fitting my intermediate pipe, I was able get the 4 inch pipe past the crossmember with about a 1/2 inch of clearance between.
