A little sheet metal shaping will get the clearance at the top of the radiator. No cutting is required. The side to side stiffening for the support is the crossed braces and the bottom splash plate. So not much is compromised. I have seen the piece cut. Don't know why but it can be fixed or replaced. My own general rule is to make any modification undoable. Someone may want to restore at some time. In all fairness, keeping it on the road, is the common goal. Good healthy 216 is a rare find indeed. A competent shop to re-Babbit the rods would be quite the surprise. So many available 235 engines make that the choice of many on a budget.
