That thing that connects the two sides of the rear suspen...

New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
in Suspension, Braking & Wheels
Sorry about asking such a basic question, but what is that large metal piece that connects the two lower control arms (I think that's what they might be) in the rear of the car called? It's connected to the car by a couple large bolts on each side. Mine broke on the ride side tonight and luckly the muffler kept it from going too far, but it was still a very interesting situation. Now my poor wagon is stranded at a motel parking lot until tomorrow with a lot of negative camber on the right side. If anyone knows what that large metal piece is called and/or a good place to get one that would be awesome. Thanks to everyone in advance.

Comments

  • HaydzHaydz Moderator
    Rear lower subframe or rear lower crossmember or rear lower tie bar.
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    So I can't seem to really find these online or anything. Ofcourse the dealer wants $400+ for them. Unfortunately that will mean a tragic end for the wagon. Does anyone know of anywhere to get these for less?

    The dealer called it a rear crossbeam, but I can't find anything searching for that... Lower subframe is what I need, I guess.
  • jpciiijpciii familEE
    You have two options... new from the dealer, or used from a salvage yard. Removing one from an old car can be difficult because the lower control arm bolts get rusted/frozen to the bushing sleeves.

    Is your car really rusty or something? Seems really odd that the rear subframe would break because they appear to be really strong.
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    It's strange, actually. For some reason my car is completely fine in front of the rear doors. The rear doors have a tiny bit of rust on them, and then all of the sudden the rear fenders are completely rusted out. The rear bumper is basically rusted out under the plastic, the spare tire well has a couple rust holes in it, and ofcourse the rear subframe had rust problems. It was fine, though, until I hit a seriously bad patch of road (several ~3-4" potholes within about a 10-15' stretch. SE WI people will understand.) and I guess it was just too much for it. Unfortunately there aren't really any civic wagons in the area to source parts from. :(
  • jpciiijpciii familEE
    maybe it can be welded? I'd bet money that you will run into rusted bolts on your lower control arms, and also on the parts car (unless it's from the desert). It's gonna be a pain in the butt. You'll need new lower control arm bolts and bushings where they attach to the subframe... but you'll have to remove the whole lower control arm to install those bushings... which means you will be dealing with up to 6 wasted lower control arm bushing/bolt combos. You could buy aftermarket lower control arms with the bushings already installed, but you'll still need bolts (not cheap from honda) Also... I bet the bolts that hold the subframe to the body are rusted/frozen...

    If the bolts come out easily, then you are golden. Chances are slim, so I'd start thinking about getting someone to weld/fab something up to keep the car going down the road safely.


    good luck, and post pics of the broken crossmember if you get a chance.
  • quartersquarters Council Member
    damn, i have a spare rear crossmember OFF THE CAR at my parents place. it is 20 hours away though... so unless you can wait until june, better hunt one down.
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    Does anyone know how wide the crossmember is from front to back? My car is currently 30min. away, so I can't measure it myself.
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    Does anyone know how wide the crossmember is from front to back. My car is currently 30 min. away, so I can't measure it myself.
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    looks to be about 36x8 inches. hope this helps...

    139.jpg

    140.jpg
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    Wow, dude, you're AWESOME. Above and beyond. Thank you! I was thinking of getting a couple U-bolts and putting them going around the crossmember and up through the right side of the spare tire well with a couple very large washers to keep the bolts from pulling through. Hopefully if I drive nice and slowly the whole way, this will atleast get my car to a friends house where it can stay for a couple weeks until I can fix it. What do you guys think? I would tow it, but it's about an hour from home. I called a place near where the car is and they said it would cost me like $200...
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    mmm, idk, i would prolly just tow it for $150 because it sounds like a lot of work getting that stuff you talked about. and then you are stuck with holes in your spare tire well. not sure how much one of these things weigh, but they should be pretty cheap from a junkyard.
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    Unfortunately there don't seem to be other civic wagons in the area. I found the part online at a junk yard a couple hundred miles away and contacted them today. They are willing to ship, but with $100 for the part and shipping (which they don't know yet, but said might be expensive since it's large and metal), I don't really have the extra cash to drop on the tow until I get paid again. Unfortunately I don't think I can leave my car where it is any longer. I'm still looking for a crossmember that's closer, but haven't found one yet. In any case, thanks again for your help. Hopefully I can figure out something to save my wagon from the scrapper.
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    there is a wagon at the junkyard that i go to a lot, its 100% rust free, they would prolly charge like $30 for the part.. shipping might be a bit crazy, prolly around $40 or so. um, i am still trying to see if i can buy the whole car and restore it, but if not i could see about getting the part for you.
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    You live somewhere south? Nowhere around here has any parts for like $30. What they do have is usually atleast a little rusted. How long do you think it would be before you figured out if you could do it, and to ship and all that if you could? If I can figure out a way to go without my car for long enough, I might definately take you up on it. I could probably let you know by this evening.
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    um, shipping would be totally up to the shipper. i;d say prolly a week or two. depends i guess. i have no idea how much these things weigh. oh and i am not entirely sure about the price, i was just estimating. the most would be $50. yeah i live in the south, shipping would be from Bluffton, SC 29910.

    like i said, im not sure if i will be parting the car out yet, cause i wanna bring her back to life.. but we'll see what happens with that. i'll know in the next few days.
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    Oh yes, the wonders of SC junk yards. I grew up in Anderson. Moved to WI about 10yr. ago. I was just down on vacation a couple weeks ago. If only I had known then... Many more junk yards with much better parts. I'll try to find the part today, but if I can't then I'll probably take you up on that if you do decide to. I now must get to class (college, the reason I can barely afford to even keep my car on the road sometimes...). Thank you for your help.
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    New to Hondas... wrote:
    I now must get to class (college, the reason I can barely afford to even keep my car on the road sometimes...). Thank you for your help.

    HAHAHA WOW same here.

    lets see, last i checked i could barely full up my car with gas :oops: had to borrow $70 from my 15 year old friend to pay off AWD Wagon for parts that he was holding for me :oops: haha.
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    Hey, wagodizzle, any word on if you'll be restoring that car or if I would be able to get that crossmember from you? I got my car home, and depending on how long shipping would take, I'd be interested in it plus a few dollars your way for your help. Let me know.
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    naw man i havent been able to go by the yard yet. its prolly not going to work out, so most likely you'll be getting a crossmember :wink:

    friday is my day off so i'll go and see how much they would take for the car and if its too much then i'll go and see how much the cross member would be for you.

    im glad you got your car home :wink:
  • New to Hondas...New to Hondas... Band Wagon
    Yeah, it just depends on how long it would take to get here. Unfortunately I can't afford to have my car off the road for Too long. I did find a place up here that said they could get me one, but for $150 and it has to be shipped from AL. So like I said, just let me know as soon as you figure it out and maybe if it's not too long then it would work out. Otherwise I'll just have to cough up the cash and get it from the place up here. Oh how I wish I still lived in the south...
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    hey man it seems i cant get the car, so i guess that means i can get you the rear crossmember if you still want it. let me know what you wanna do ;)
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