Ladder bar x-member. Which is better? round or square?

Any opinions? My friend's car has a home made square tubing one that has broke 3 times now. Looks like it was a nice piece at one time but has been in the car since the early 70's and is just been scabbed up too much to repair again. Just wanting opinions/experience with different types/brands. Thanks, Beep

if you don't brace either one of them properly they will twist and break at the frame.i use round and diagonal brace to the point of the front ladder bar brackets.

The one in the car is braced right on top of the front rod end of the ladder bar with a diagonal off the main hoop. It actually is an X from the main hoop to the LB mounts. This one keeps cracking in the center of the car. Under the drive shaft or just to the side of it. Hope that reads right. Kind of hard to explain without pics.
Would you think that it should have a gusset from that area to the frame ties? Beep

That sounds bad for me. I did my new car the same way.
Doug

You have to remember that this was installed in the early 70's. Lots of use and fatique I am sure. Just hoping for some insight if round may be better than square/rectangular? Beep

i have seen them crack by the frame but not out where you are saying.so i'm not sure what one would look for on that,i would be looking at the whole frame work.

Hard to figure. Can you give us a drawing?

You need to brace it at the bottom of the front heim
area so you take the torsional twist out... being braced
on the top will control forward push but not the torsional
twisting... either round or rectangular is fine but
round is lighter weight... but if your replacing it
might be easier to go back with rectangular(3 X 2 X.125)...
he might have .090 wall in it now
EDIT
also... where they bend the loop area its thinner
due to drawing it around on the bender

Mr P, is this what you mean for a brace from the bottom of the front mount. The tube in red being the support to be added.

If you use the bottom hole, there is still alot of leverage on that bracket

I agree. You thinking of bringing the support off the side of the bracket up to the frame tie? Beep

Quote:

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Mr P, is this what you mean for a brace from the bottom of the front mount. The tube in red being the support to be added.

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Move the red tube to the bottom(forward edge) of the
ladder bar bracket.... mount it right in front of
the bottom hole on the bracket