Once the rubber pad in the torque ball support bracket gets mushy from gear oil, this crossmember serves no purpose, except for a little extra lateral support to the frame. I believe that support bracket was designed to take out some of the wiggle out of the torque tube. If you go to an open drive shaft, I wouldn't attach the transmission to the crossmember, as it will likely fight with the front engine mount and the two mounts at the bell housing.
Carl
