The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop advise on motor crossmember conversion kit

Can anyone tell me who makes the best heavy duty tubular v-8 engine/tranny crossmember conversion kit?? I bought one from Brothers, and it looked like it was welded by a 9 yearold chinese kid, i sent it back and now i'm lookin for a made in the USA one, if that's possible Does anyone know of a good retaler that sell a kit for a 1959 1-ton 283 v-8 with a turbo 350 tranny??

Hy panman, I recently installed a TransDapt universal engine crossmember in a 37 Chev pickup, the welding didn't look too bad, but the flanges that mount to the frame had warped a bit from the heat of welding, I straightened them out on the press. The tube which the engine mount bolts pass through was almost 5/8" i.d., kind of large for a 7/16" bolt I thought. The most upsetting thing about the kit was the engine mounts themselves, they were the original design, this design, and its use was discontinued by GM in the early 60s. The design did not include any provision to stop the engine from lifting out of position in the chassis, if the rubber element failed, this had happened quite a few times, when it happened going forward, the throttle was pulled at least partially open. I don't understand why anyone would continue to manufacture a proven bad/dangerous design, and why a company like TransDapt would provide it in a kit, and call it a heavy duty mount. This kit is marketed for Chev V8s, it doesn't specify what size V8, some of the torque monsters you can purchase these days would make short work of ripping these mounts to pieces. So in my opinion where parts are made is not the only issue, the quality and design of the parts provided is the most important thing, safety first. Needless to say I did not use the provided mounts, I went to my local FLAPS and purchased a mount with the designed in safety feature, which limits engine movement, should the rubber element fail.

I know the feeling, about the 7/16 bolt going thru the 5/8 tube, that kinda made me mad too, the worst part was the way they half welded the tube in the mount perch, a good flex on the undersized bolt thru the tube and snap would go the tube, the thickness of the steel on the motor mounts is actualy half that of the later 70-80's rubber mounts that i was going to use, i know that this stuff is aftermarket made in china, but you are right it's safety and quailty that is missing, it's a shame that you have to search for good parts for a build, it makes you want to just invest in the tools you need to make it yourself, but that costs way too much and takes too much time. I need to get some good advise on who sells the best parts soon, one day it's gona stop snowing and i want to drop my motor/tranny in the truck and put the doghouse back on.

by the way 3b what is FLAPS store???

Hy panman,
F - Friendly
L - local
A - auto
P - parts
S - store, hope that helps.

oh! i guess it must be a canada thing

Nope. International. We call them FLAPS here, too

so who make a good one then?