Removing Spare tire mount/Rear frame cross member

[WVvan]

I will be grinding off the rivet heads

Wished I'd thought of that. Would have been better than using the sawzall like I did.

[BajaSportsmobile]

I've used a Plasma Cutter or Cutting Torch to "blow" the heads off of the rivets - grinding them off can kill a whole day.

[BIGVANS]

Yea, most fab shops and body shops air chisel the heads off and then air hammer the cross member until the rivet stems pop out of the holes. (They usually scratch and ding up the frame rails)

[carringb]

I used a plasma. Went pretty quick.

[Ultrasport12]

Hey Bigvans I bought a rear skid system from UJoint Chris a while back and I was looking at it tonight and I thought of your post. So while working on it I looked at the SuperVan link on his website for pictures of how it all fits together. In at least one of the pictures it shows the van with the rear bumper off and it has a frame tie between the bumper mounts. Maybe you could build or buy one of those (FF001 front frame support) and use it to add a bit of strength and or you could buy the crossmember that comes with the UJoint skid system and weld it in anywhere you might want it.

[BIGVANS]

Yes, Chris makes one support plate for the front and one for the rear of the frame. He also makes that additional one that is welded in near the rear axle on EB vans. You will be happy with U-Joint, His stuff works great!

[posplayr]

Originally Posted by carringb

I used a plasma. Went pretty quick.

That is a recommendation I can't ignore.