I used an adapter plate from Hamilton Intakes. Why? Because this is my daily driver, and it's not unuasual to find me hundreds of miles from home. In the event the tranny fails, I want to be able replace it with a junkyard spare with out doing roadside mods with a hacksaw.
The spacer does not affect how the clutch works.
Get rid of the original trans cross member. You don't need one with the T-5.