So while my car was on the lift getting new brakes i started checking everything under the car. Noticed alot of stuff I'd wanna replace just because it looks worn (usually i replace thing before they break and i have a problem/CEL).

I noticed that there is some rust beginning to for right where the cross member is attached to the radiator support. I did a search and read a few threads and i don't want to replace the entire radiator support.

I'm thinking of cleaning up the rust as much as i can and then welding some steal around that area. To me that's the easiest and fastest way of taking care of the problem before winter hits and hits hard.

If someone has better or brighter ideas please feel free to comment. Thanks.

 

I'f the rust is not too bad, I'd just remove the rust & spray some undercoating on the cross member to protect it from old man winter & from getting any worse.

That's what I'm going to do tomorrow!

 

I could be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that undercoating does not protect against rust, it is merely a sound deadening material...

 

Well then, what's Ziebart?

 

Is there a certain product i could purchase to clean up the rust that is already there? I was thinking of spray painting the area after i clean it, and then welding some steel around it.

 

There's a rust remover (not sure of the name) or there's a product that you apply to rust & turns black and stops the rust process.

 

yea.....000

 

Good or Bad? Fairly inexpensive to try i guess.

http://www.rustbullet.com/ProductCar...idCategory=120

 

POR-15 is alot better than that product. I had that lower radiator bar replaced recently when my motor was out. Its a comman rust spot.

 

yeah i know it's common, i don't plan on takin out my motor anytime soon unless i'm doing a swap. and it's to expensive to just replace so i wanna kinda slow down the process. or it can look like the one here http://forums.nycmaximas.org/showthread.php?t=16307 scroll down to post #6 lol

 

...and the only place besides my catalytic converter that my car has rust

 

Here's my new one




You can try this : http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....light=Bushings Seems like alot of work though.

 

It depends on how bad the rust is. Mine was very bad. I tried to weld in a piece of steel the whole length of the cross member in an effort to rebuld it, but it just needed replaced. I think I may have got the 'A' for effort, but it was wasted time. I just burned through the rust at every part of the bead (and i though i eliminated all the rust, but the metal was too weak). I am no Navy welder, but I can weld exceptionally well though. It was just to far gone to fix. I wish I had pix, but no camera at that time. Sorry.

Try hitting it with a wire brush, THOROUGHLY. Then buy "rust converter" from either walmart or parts store (or POR-15, it is the best-but more costly.) That will help.
If there are any holes. You may be screwed. Mine was completely gone the whole way across. If you have just a couple small holes/ bubbles (1" sized) you may be able to just weld it to fix. If like mine....
$100 from ebay for new cross member, $600-$800 for body shop to replace.

The repair in the linked thread in the other post is a very light version of what i did. It works for the small amounts of rust, but from the salt and rocks pelting that thing, and the water sitting there. Its toast. ALSO make sure however you fix it...make sure you protect it with some type of coating and check it every year after to catch any rust early.

And no, undercoating only works for 1 hard winter or 2-3 light winters. You have to redo every year. You have to wire brush completely clean then apply undercoating. SEVERAL coats. For a little extra protection you can put on truck bed coating before the undercoating. it prolongs the treatment. Any help is good for bad winters, I know NE Ohio isn't the only bad place.