INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR PL510 REAR CROSSMEMBER KIT

 

(1)  Remove crossmember from the car. Remove the control arms, differential, parking brake cables, and crossmember mounting bushings from the crossmember.

                                                   

(2)  These instructions are for a U.S. spec. crossmember, so a couple of dimensions need to be checked before proceeding.  Also, a 610 crossmember is different and can be identified by the parking brake cable holes being in a different location and the tubes that locate the outer bushings are welded onto the crossmember offset towards the front of the car.  The 510 tubes are centered on the crossmember.  The distance between the control arm pivot centerlines should be 13-3/8” (340 mm), the parking brake cable hole in the bracket face of the should be 25 mm diameter, and the distance from the hole centerline to the inner bracket centerline should be 4.37” (111 mm) on both the left and right hand sides.

 

(3)  Attached to these instructions is a sketch of a template that will be helpful when laying out the holes for the tubes which go through the crossmember.  This can be made from a scrap piece of ¼” thick aluminum plate.  Also, make a .975” diameter locator per the sketch at this time.  This locator fits into the parking brake cable hole to locate the plate on the crossmember.

 

(4)  Remove both inner and outer brackets from the crossmember.  This should be done carefully, so that no holes are made in the face of the crossmember.  (We use a combination of a die grinder with a cutoff wheel and a plasma cutter.)  Also, the parking brake cable brackets and the exhaust brackets on the forward face of the crossmember should be remover at this time.

 

(5)  Clean up the face and flange of the crossmember so that there are no raised areas from welds and any welding spatter is removed.  Also, it is a good idea to blast these areas on the bracket side of the crossmember and the forward side of the crossmember where the tubes for the inner bracket will come through.

 

(6)  This next step is best performed in a mill.  Clamp the crossmember to the mill table in as rigid a manner as possible.  We use a pair of 2” thick aluminum blacks located on both ends of the mill table and locate through the bushing mounting holes at each end of the crossmember.

 

(7)  Screw the .975” diameter locator to the template.  Place the locator into the parking brake cable hole so that the triangular hole pattern is located over the original inner bracket location.  (Note: The template should fit so that it cannot rotate the parking brake cable hole.)

 

(8)  Tilt the head of the mill to be perpendicular to the bracket face of the crossmember.

 

(9)  Use a ¼” transfer punch to locate the mill spindle over one of the three holes in the template.  Be sure to leave enough distance between the crossmember and the spindle, as you will need to use some long tools to allow a 5/8” diameter hole to be bored through both sides of the crossmember.  Remove the template.

 

(10)  We use the following procedure to bore the holes through the crossmember.  You may want to modify this according to the tools you have available.  First we center drill the hole with a ½” diameter center drill.  Next we drill through the opposite side of the crossmember with a ½” diameter drill.  Then we use with a long 9/16” di 4 flute end mill to open and straighten the hole.  Finally, we finish the hole to size using a long 5/8” diameter 4 flute end mill.  Check the fit of the tube in the hole.

 

(11)  Place the template on the crossmember again and move to the next hole location.  Repeat steps (9) & (10) for the remaining two holes.

 

(12)  Reverse the locator spud on the template and repeat steps (9)-(11) for the holes on the opposite side of the crossmember.  You will need to tilt the mill head the opposite direction.

 

(13)  Be sure the area around the holes is free of rust and paint on both sides of the crossmember.  Slide the tubes through the crossmember until they are flush with the bracket surface.  Check to be sure the triangular bolt piece will slide easily into the tubes.  Tack weld the tubes into place and double check the fitment of the triangular bolt piece.  If all is well, weld the tubes in place on the front and back of the crossmember.

 

(14)  Slide the triangular bolt piece through one of the slotted brackets and install it on the crossmember.  Note for the outer brackets, there is a right and left bracket and the hole is closest to the bottom of the crossmember. Take one of the outer brackets, and place it onto the appropriate side of the crossmember so that the inner and outer brackets are 13-3/8”center to center.  It will probably be necessary to grind the top side of the bracket to allow it to fit in the proper place on the crossmember.  Clamp the bracket in place and double check the bracket separation.  Tack it in place and recheck the separation before welding it in place.

 

(15)  Repeat step (14) for the opposite side of the crossmember.

 

(16)  The crossmember can be assembled and installed into the car at this point.  The toe-in is adjusted by loosening the triangular bolt piece and sliding the appropriate size and number of shims (provided in the kit) between the bracket and crossmember to achieve the desired toe.  Camber is adjusted by moving the inner control arm pivot up or down in the slot to set the desired camber.  One thing to remember is that toe affects camber, and camber affects the toe, so there is a certain amount of chasing your tail that goes along with getting things exactly the way you want them.