Front crossmember problem

[67-2door]

Hi all.
I've only had my moggie a week and I'm still carrying out a thorough service and sorting a few niggly jobs on it. Last night I drained the coolant & removed the radiator to flush the system out before fitting new hoses & anti-freeze.
I noticed that when the coolant drained over the front crossmember it's filled it up with water! (You can see it through the holes in the top), obviously this isn't ideal from a rust preventative point of view! Looking underneath it appears someone has welded a plate full length of the front crossmember, my question is should the crossmember have drain holes in to prevent it filling with water? If so should I drill some in it and how many, what size & whereabouts?
Thanks.
Neil.

[alex_holden]

Yes, drill them at the lowest point(s). 1/4" or 6mm should be OK. Be careful not to douse your drill with coolant when the first hole breaks through!

[bmcecosse]

And then protect the bare metal at the hole - to stop it rusting..........