pparaska Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 The 1/2" spacers between the frame rails and the cross member do a few things: - Drops the engine closer to the ground, relative to the body, which is held up by the tires, struts and springs - Therefore, it increases the clearance above the distributor, so that the hood latch bracket will work. - It also increases room for the transmission to fit in the tunnel (not sure if this is actually a problem that needed a fix). - Changes the front u-joint angle on the driveshaft, usually in the wrong direction, from where it would be without the spacers. The last reason is what drove me to do without the spacers. To get my driveshaft u-joint angles close to each other, have the transmission up high enough in the tunnel to not be the lowest point, and have smaller driveshaft u-joint angles (always better until you get very close to no angle), I didn't use the spacers. Check out my "driveline mods" page on my site for details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 I decided not to use also. I have a set if anyone decides they need them. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 Me too. My motor fits under the hood with my RPM Air-gap intake and K&N drop-base cleaner. I'm using hood pins instead of the JTR latch so that's not a worry. I guess it just seems kind of ghetto to use crossmember spacers to make room Everything fits fine, the T5 nestles nicely into the tunnel, the drivetrain seems fairly well lined up.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil1934 Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 Do I need crossmember spacer to clear 6-3/4" balancer? If I leave it out will stock HEI clear modified hood latch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 My question is why would you leave out the 1/2 inch cross member spacer (?). I would assume (?) that JTR R&D included the requirement for the 1/2 inch aluminum spacer to clear the steering rack with the under 7 inch harmonic balancer. Besides the HEI height requirement there may be aftermarket radiator height to hood problems with a JTR spec radiator mount, hood/carburator space problems. IT all might fit without the 1/2 inch spacer but at full throttle or lock to lock steering soemething may rub very harshly. Out of all the JTR adapters the 1/2 inch cross member is the easiest to fabricate and install. Raising the roll center a 1/2 inch may reduce the amount of body roll during conering but cause slight lift in a corner with tracking and camber increases on rough surfaces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 Phil,You mentioned harmonic balancer clearance.The engine mounts to the crossmember,so the gap stays the same with or without the spacers.I think the JTR book says the ballancer needs to be 7.25 or smaller to clear.I wonder about the lower pulley though,mine looks pretty big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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