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  #1  
Old 09-21-2007, 01:21 AM
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Structural members/seats (W116)

The crossmember that goes across the width of a W116 that the front bolts of the seat attatch to...is it a major structural member?

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  #2  
Old 09-21-2007, 05:36 AM
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If it is like a fintail, I think it just holds the seat and braces the floor.... and provides general stiffening.

Tom W
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  #3  
Old 09-24-2007, 09:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PanzerSD View Post
The crossmember that goes across the width of a W116 that the front bolts of the seat attatch to...is it a major structural member?
I would consider a part like this on a unibody to be a major structural member. On a W116, that crossmember not only supports the seats and stiffens the floor, but also provides a degree of side-impact reinforcement to the sills.

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Old 09-24-2007, 08:09 PM
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I agree with your thoughts but to me a major structural member would be something that holds the engine or the front or rear axle assembly.

I suspect the question is related to repair of the member so the seat will not fall through the floor. I would not hesitate to repair it with heavy aluminum or galvanized steel. I would take patterns with cardboard to the sheet metal shop and have them cut and bent and fastenthem in with heavy pop rivits or sheet metal screws.

Of course if it were a really valuable car that would be shown I would have it welded in.

Tom W
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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Old 09-24-2007, 09:14 PM
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I've wrestled with this problem on my two W123 240Ds, as both cars had rusted out below and behind the front seats. In one car, rust had not only taken out an outboard passenger seat mount, but the outer seatbelt anchor as well. In fact the front passenger seatbelt was attached only to carpeting!
Last week, my neighbor, who's a building contractor, got me a large piece of 16-guage galvanised steel, from which I fashioned a 10" x 31" angle-panel, to replace the missing section of floor and sill. Since I don't have a lift, welding equipment or welding experience, I bolted it in place with many 1/4 inch fine-thread bolts, and an assortment of threaded plates, nuts and washers, which I consider a more solid attachement than pop-rivets or sheetmetal screws. For what its worth, the forward end of this repair plate is also bolted to the outer end of the front seat crossmember previously mentioned in this thread.

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Old 09-24-2007, 11:18 PM
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Well, larger bolts to fasten it in only is good if the parent metal is thick enough to generate enough strength to take advantage of the heft. In this case I doubt it. More smaller fasteners are probably better. They are easier to conceal under your carpet too.

I have done similar repairs. I prefer not to do it though. But in a pinch, it is certainly better than nothing. And a lot better than not repairing it at all.

Tom W
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..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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Old 09-24-2007, 11:52 PM
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Well, I guess I should tell you guys WHY I asked that.

I have a really nifty pair of Audi 8-way power heated seats.
they're in the car now but they are too high at the front.
I need to remove a section of this crossmember to give my seat tracks room to slide when I mount the front to the floor not the crossmember.

I'm an autobody technician. It is my belief that if I cut this section out, cap the ends, and weld a 1/4 think flat bar across where the member was and bolt my seat to that that it will be as strong as if I hadn't cut anything.

I'm not going for any stock appearance here as you might have guessed
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  #8  
Old 09-25-2007, 12:08 AM
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Where I have straight sections of overlapping joints, I've been using galvanised bars and steel flats to sandwich the original floor or sill metal against my replacement galvanized repair sections. It's probably overkill, but hey, as long as I have the time and I'm already in there.... And bolts are often easier to deal with than wrestling with a rivet gun under the car or in tight spaces, especially where there's a slight gap and I need to draw the original sheet-metal and repair sections together.
On the other hand, where there's minimal structural impact, involving a few individual rust holes up to half dollar size in a floor or panel, I'll sometimes cut small thin galvanised patches, then glue them in place with spray-undercoat.

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Last edited by Mark DiSilvestro; 09-25-2007 at 12:18 AM.
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  #9  
Old 09-25-2007, 03:51 AM
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If you could illustrate the idea first, it would be easier to tell. one quarter inch thick plate is very very thick to introduce in this application I think.

Tom W
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..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #10  
Old 09-25-2007, 07:16 AM
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In the scenario you are proposing I think I'd use 2 1/8" flats. One below the floor and the other above. You'll never get a good weld trying to combine those two vastly different thicknesses of metal (14 gauge sheet and 1/4" mild).

The support channel you are replacing is designed to provide lateral support and prevent the seat from becoming a "launch" seat in the event of a catastrophic impact.
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  #11  
Old 09-25-2007, 09:30 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PanzerSD View Post
Well, I guess I should tell you guys WHY I asked that.

I have a really nifty pair of Audi 8-way power heated seats.
they're in the car now but they are too high at the front.
I need to remove a section of this crossmember to give my seat tracks room to slide when I mount the front to the floor not the crossmember.

I'm an autobody technician. It is my belief that if I cut this section out, cap the ends, and weld a 1/4 think flat bar across where the member was and bolt my seat to that that it will be as strong as if I hadn't cut anything.

I'm not going for any stock appearance here as you might have guessed
Awhile back, I purchased a length of 1" x 2" hollow rectangular box-section steel tubing from a local metal shop.
Something like this might be ideal to lower your seat crossmember, while still maintaining the required body stiffness. This tubing has a 1/8" wall thickness, so welding it to the thinner steel of the existing car structure might still pose a problem, as someone previously mentioned.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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Last edited by Mark DiSilvestro; 09-26-2007 at 08:42 AM.
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