any problem with amd lower rear crossmember matching up with trunk pan edge

[moparjohnny]

i just saw a thread in restoration where a guy bought one and said that he had some problems getting the trunk pan to match or align with crossmember has anyone had similar problems here lately with that? thanks to all who responds.

 

[roadrunnerman]

What car are you talking about? I've seen some members here have some problems doing their chargers and some doing their RR's didn't have any problems.

 

[Richard Cranium]

[video=youtube;NzlG28B-R8Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y[/video]

 

[tallhair]

i just saw a thread in restoration where a guy bought one and said that he had some problems getting the trunk pan to match or align with crossmember has anyone had similar problems here lately with that? thanks to all who responds.

I've seen issues with the replacement tail light panel fitment in threads here

 

[moparjohnny]

roadrunnerman its a 69 roadrunner,the thread is called a12 rescue step 1, here is a quote from it,I see you've got an AMD rear X-member there. Did they change the stamping to have the indentations needed on the top edge, or have you figured out a way to work with it?

I had to salvage one off my parts car, couldn't get the AMD part to match up to the existing trunk floor.

 

[Propwash]

I had no issue fitting the rear AMD crossmember to the bottom of the AMD trunk pan on my '69 roadrunner. The Cross-member extensions gave me a little flak, but wasn't too bad to get to fit. Think I had to make a relief cut or two. Looking back, i'd recommend welding on the x-member extensions once the quarter and trunk extensions are in place.

 

[b-body-bob]

Yeah it was me I have photos of the problem here somewhere.

Prop I remember asking you about it when it was going on.

I made some cuts and a jig to try and bend it but since I had a decent part I traded one kind of labor for the other and went with the factory part.

If/when I find those photos I'll post again.

- - - Updated - - -

OK, here's an example:

See how much narrower the lip is than the factory part was? Also, the stamped indentation in the floorboard there is holding the crossmember off the trunk floor all the way across the car. The width I could've lived with but you have to weld up the old holes then put new ones in the right place. The indentations either have to be there or you have to cut and bend the AMD part because you can't weld air.

The one I had is missing the outermost bottom hole for a bumper bolt (up from the bottom) but that could be dealt with easy enough. It was the top edge indentations that stopped me.

Also FWIW, one of the rear bumper reinforcements isn't even close to right, but I don't remember which one. I was lucky that I didn't ruin that one taking it off to begin with.

If I'd have known the new parts wouldn't fit, I'd have just cut out the rusty part of mine and patched it back together instead of replacing the whole thing.

This might show it a little better - see the daylight between the x-member and the trunk floor?

I just noticed I put some text on the photos to explain what is shown - just click the photo and it'll take you to photobucket where you can read them.

 

[Propwash]

I remember that Bob, been a while. Good to hear you got it squared away. I know for a short stint AMD was incorporating the X-member extensions and bumper reinforcements onto the X-member and sold as one single part. Heard that went over like a lead balloon. The hump to get over with these parts is pretty much all of them are gonna need work to fit. Obviously you know what that's like. AMD seems to be the best for being the closest, but with out a doubt, just about all of their parts will require some modification to fit correctly. It boils down to OEM sheetmetal always being the best.

I didn't have to deal with the narrow upper lip of the x-member like you being I had a new trunk pan. Just had to drill it for where the new AMD X-member lip sat. Your Pic confirms, that lip is about 1/8"-3/16" more narrow than the factory. Sure would be an easy fix for them to add that metal vs. trying to plug weld then re-drill an OEM pan. I did have to do a little trimming where the extending ears of the frame rails met the x-member. A carbide bit on a die grinder made short work out of that. I did not have gap issues between the bottom of the pan and X-member. I ran #10 sheetmetal screws through the the trunk pan into the x-member lip to pull each other tight together.

One would think for the price you pay for these parts, they would be dead on. Unfortunately that's not the case. I does beat not having any part available at all though. Most modifications needed can be thought through and made without too much flak. It does stink. The biggest issues I see with AMD is with their quarter panels, doors and over angled step in the rockers. I have spoke with AMD on the issues, but came out of it feeling like I was speaking spanish or wasting their time. Too bad.

 

[b-body-bob]

Sure would be an easy fix for them to add that metal vs. trying to plug weld then re-drill an OEM pan.

The not-so-funny part is I filled those holes thinking I'd be able to use the AMD part, then had to re-drill them because I didn't.

I did have to do a little trimming where the extending ears of the frame rails met the x-member. A carbide bit on a die grinder made short work out of that. I did not have gap issues between the bottom of the pan and X-member.

That makes sense, since the frame rail is what holds it down off the trunk floor.

The biggest issues I see with AMD is with their quarter panels, doors and over angled step in the rockers.

So what's wrong with the quarters? I have two partial quarters from them here I was going to use to just patch the lowers on mine. But, after really digging in, it seems like the driver's side would be easier fixed with a complete quarter since someone put brass in the crack that always develops up where the quarter meets the jamb.