Looking to make room for my trans specifically the speedometer cable. I read how Kenneth31coupe norrowed his by splitting the center , cutting the flanges at the front & rear then pulling each one out 2" & rewelding. This allowed a stock looking X-member. I want to bend mine at "A" and split at "B" , pull in in, trim and weld making a trapizoid instead of a "V" . My reason is I dont want this mod to affect the brake location. Looking for feedback/advice/help. Thanks Leon
might be easier to bend up some new straight pieces A to A . set them on top and mark your splices, cut and weld.? either way it sounds like a worthy modification .
Where are you located ? I have a rust free '36 frame that I built 30 years ago for a blown 427 chevy and a turbo 400 trans. I kept the stock X-member but widened it 4 inches. You can't tell by looking at it unless you know.I removed the inner frame, then put it back together. It has a Jag IRS rear crossmember in it next to the stock crossmember. The frame and X member is full boxed. It has an old Sbarbaro 5 inch dropped axle coil over set up under the front end. State of the art for 1975. I never used it. You can't put 5 quarts of milk in a one gallon container.
If you are going with juice brakes the x member's brake pedal mount will be different... '39 and '40 x members have the correct juice brake pedal mounts... The mounts never rusts out as the engine's blow by coats it... easy find... think about the future, you may want to widen the x enough should you decide to run a different tranny later... my $0.02.
You want to hack out the X member to make room for the speedo cable? How about cutting a small notch where the cable will go through, then you could box in that notch if needed? Make a small cut instead of a huge cut.
Yes. It looks like the centerline of the cable output points to the top flange...so if it were me, i'd do a C-notch with a half round piece of thick wall pipe. (like the C-notch on a 32 frame above the rear axle tubes)
If you don't widen the X member, if you ever have to pull the trans out, you will have to pull the engine to get the trans out. You have no room to slide the trans back to get it out. The pictures show how I did it. Hope it helps
I did what zorro did on my '34 fiver [1994]... I was running a 14" wide AOD behind my flatty... my $0.02.
if it is symmetrical enough could you cut at B and both As and swap end for end? curves front and back and straight part down the middle.
I used a 90 degree speedo adapter in my 36 roadster with a th350 without cutting the rail for clearance
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