thanks for the help everyone... the little plate turned out to be where mark said it should have been. Previous owners took the car to jiffylube (ack), and they put their stupid service sticker right over the damn thing by the door jam. I'd left it there cuz I tried to take it off once and it was leaving adhesive and crap, so I left it out of laziness.
My own damn fault I guess <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='
'> My new crossmember is in the mail woohoo!