Spare Tire Carrier Crossmember

[Lugal]

I had to pull the spare tire carrier crossmember on my '85 FJ60 to drop the tank. This gave me a good opportunity to clean up the rust, which is pretty bad on the frame behind the rear wheels. But the worst piece, by far, is this crossmember. So my question is this: how structurally important is this crossmember? Does it just hold up the spare tire, or is it also a structural part of the frame? I was thinking of just fixing it up w/ Rust Bullet and putting it back in, but now that I've seen its condition, I'm not so sure. Could any Mudders advise me on whether I'd be better off w/ a replacement?

 

[D'Animal]

It is part of the frame. It is a removable cross member. The rear cross member is in the bumper area. The next cross member is the shock mount. The spare tire mount is in between. If you added Rust bullet, Por 15 or waht ever, no problems.

Unless you are running 38" you will never miss it.


I have and extra one by the way.