Adjusting Front Crossmember

[mxt_77]

I'm wondering how difficult it is to move/shift the front crossmember a little to one side. Is there even any way to adjust it?

I know that my car ('08 C2S) was previously in a minor front-end collision. When I took it in to get an alignment, the tech found that the maximum camber adjustment on one side was less than minimum adjustment on the other (by about 0.25 degrees). In other words, there was no way to set them to the same setting on both sides.

I assume this is due to the crossmember being shifted to one side. Most likely this was caused by sliding into a curb or something. I'm just wondering how difficult it would be to unbolt it and move it a bit, and also if there is a way to determine exactly where dead-center is.

And finally... anybody know where to get the official service manual?

Thanks!

-Marcus.

[PAULSPEED]

Ask Loren any advice for the service manual. It

costs a lot to get that information.

You may want to get some adjustable a-arms if you need the car

in perfect alignment. Should be OK if it is close.

Look into GT-3 a-arms if you want to go in that direction.

The stabilizer bar adjusted will not help you. I assume that is what you are calling the

cross-member. A torsional brace on the top of the shock towers would not

be needed in a 2008 car.

Paul

[Loren]

Take the car to a reputable Porsche suspension and alignment shop. They should be able to tell you if it is a wear/damage problem that parts can replace or if the car be straightened or if the car can not be repaired.

You will don't want to take any chances with a car that will likely be driven at over 50 MPH. That is my advice.

[mxt_77]

You may want to get some adjustable a-arms if you need the car

in perfect alignment. Should be OK if it is close.

Look into GT-3 a-arms if you want to go in that direction.

I'm planning to get the GT3 LCAs just because I want more camber up front anyway. However, I'd like to ensure that I'm starting w/ a good/straight setup before I start putting parts on there.

The stabilizer bar adjusted will not help you. I assume that is what you are calling the cross-member. A torsional brace on the top of the shock towers would not be needed in a 2008 car.

No, I'm referring to the crossmember (as it's labeled in the parts catalog). It is the large, H-shaped part that appears to bolt to the bottom of the frame, and all of the lower suspension bits connect to it.

Take the car to a reputable Porsche suspension and alignment shop. They should be able to tell you if it is a wear/damage problem that parts can replace or if the car be straightened or if the car can not be repaired.

You will don't want to take any chances with a car that will likely be driven at over 50 MPH. That is my advice.

That's fair & sound advice. But as a bit of a DIY'er, I'd like to at least get down there and see if I can resolve the issue myself before paying $150-200/hr to have a Porsche-certified tech look at it. Plus, I can throw parts at it just as easily as they can. :) I see no indication of frame damage (i.e., all of the body-panel gaps are straight & even throughout the car). So, I believe it's just a case of something being knocked slightly askew. Since both wheels appear to be pushed in the same direction on both sides, and the crossmember is the main connecting piece that spans both sides, that seems like the logical place to start looking.

I'm just wondering if there is any adjustment that can be done by unbolting it, moving it and re-installing it, or if it has no adjustment and therefore must actually be bent/damaged. If anybody has pictures of this part of the suspension, that would be useful, too. I haven't actually been under there to look at it, yet.

[Loren]

I am not speaking of a dealership tech - I am talking about a frame, body and alignment shop. You need to know if the frame is bent and you will need specialized diagnostic tools to check the frame dimensions to specs.

From what you have described that is what I would recommend.

[PAULSPEED]

That crossmember part looks like one heavy duty

part. I imagine you would need a 6 foot long torque

wrench to even remove this part.

I would listen to Loren and take it to a frame shop.

Now if you already own a 6 foot torque wrench, then that is

another story.

Paul

[mxt_77]

Not sure why I'd need a 6' torque wrench. Obviously, I still don't have a Porsche shop manual so I don't know the official recommended torque spec, but all of the torque specs that I've seen for crossmember bolts on other cars & trucks have been between 40-80 ft-lbs. I don't know why the bolts on this crossmember would be any different.

I'm still interested in hearing an answer to my original question, which was: "Is there any room for adjustment or movement of the crossmember just by unbolting it and re-installing it?"

[RFM]

The cross member is mounted on fixed points, there are no slot holes for the bolts provided. A small shift of max. 1mm is maybe possible but not obvious. In extreme cases, after checking whether the monocoque and cross member are not crooked or damaged, the mounting holes on top of the strut can be a little milled out so that slot holes be obtained in order to achieve the specified camber values as such. It must be said that this course of action can only be applied when the differences are minimal and if nothing is damaged. It can be a solution for people who want a perfect alignment comply with the specifications, although it is far more important to have the camber on equal values on both sides even though they are a bit off of the specified specifications. Hope that your question is be answered to your satisfaction.

[mxt_77]

Thanks. I think that's the info I'm looking for (although not really the answer I wanted, lol). Much appreciated.