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X-Frame Removal

Mod Details
PremiumNo Difficulty Mod ID1090 Creditevilution For450 Fortwo451 ED451 Fortwo452 Roadster Linkhttps://www.evilution.co.uk/mod/x-frame-removal.htm Copy to Clipboard

X-Frame?

Well, it’s sort of X shaped and it’s a framework that holds stuff in place. The lower parts are actually called track control arms which would make the top part the track control arm mounting stretcher which is too much of a mouthful (just like myself). So X-frame is just easier.

X-Frame Removal

Remove the rear panels. 450 Fortwo, 451 Fortwo452 Roadster.

Remove the 18mm bolt from the top of the X-frame on either side. Remove the Torx E18 bolt and use an 18mm ring spanner on the nut found on the back of the lower part of the track rod arms and remove it from the car. The lower E18 bolt is 100Nm on refitting. The upper 18mm bolt is 65Nm on refitting.

You can now pull the X-frame out from the left side of the car. The silver part is a heat shield that protects the X-frame from the heat coming from the turbo. The 2 bolts hidden behind the heat shield are 65Nm. Just bend the heat shield out of the way to get to them.

Easy as that.

Refitting

You do not need to pre-load these before torquing the bolts to the correct tightness. So you can tighten them properly before putting the car down on its wheels.

Refitting can be a pain when it comes to refitting because the lower bolts rarely line up due to the suspension tubes spreading. You have 3 options to try and make your life easier.

1 – Connect the lower bolts 1st with the car lifted and then let the car off the jack. The top bolt spacing can’t change so you have more chance of getting those in. Use a jack in the centre of the x-frame to lift it up enough to get both bolts in place.

2 – Get 1 lower bolt in, put a long bar down the other tube end and get someone to pull it in towards the centre of the car to line the 2nd hole up.

3 – (The one I do) I have a small ratchet strap…

…put it around both ends of the tube and ratchet it inwards until the bolts line up with the holes.