88' Transmission crossmember

[Broncobill78]

Just getting ready to put the tranny crossmember back into my 88'. It's been out long enuf that I had kinda let myself forget what a freaking hassle it was to remove the damn thing in the first place. I don't suppose anyone's come up with any mods or good suggestions for putting this damn thing back in that don't include the words "it's a bitch" ? Taking this thing out reminded me why I started doing Frame-off's. I think the Better Idea guys were out smoking crack when this thing was designed. If anyone has something other than a brure-force approach to putting it back in I'd REALLY like to hear about it because in about 12hrs I'm grabbing a 3lb maul & going to town on it. Any legimate input will be GREATLY appreciated. My neighbors are *tired* of seeing this thing up on jackstands and I have to convince the neighborhood association that it really *isn't* a $hitty lawn ornament so I HAVE to get it up & running again but my patience with this thing is truely limited. Has NOBORY come up with a batter arrangement for the crossmember ? I am NOT removing the entire damn exhaust just for those two stupid bolts, it's insane & I refuse to do it. I'll weld the damn thing before I do that.

 

[Justshootme84]

Not sure what the problem is? When I put the C6 from the 88 F-350 into the 84 Bronco, I tried using the F-350 crossmember. No problem bolting it in, just that it made the C6 hit the floor due to the one-pirce tranny mount. I swapped back to the Bronco C6 crossmember and the two-piece bushing style mounts. No problem bolting the crossmember back in. Onlt thing I can say is to unbolt the end pieces, so it's easier to fit together once under the Bronco. I even re-used the factory bolts and self-locking nuts. Four per side. I did clean and paint the crossmember, as well as clean and bedliner the frame. So I don't have any dirt or debris to get in the way. And the exhaust is the last thing that's going back on the rig, because I may swap t-cases from the NP208 to a B-W 13-56 or an NP205, JSM84

 

[Broncobill78]

Yup, I removed those wing-thingies when I took it out. Problem was that the exhaust on the pass side was right down on top of the bolts & made it a bitch to remove (had to cut the bolts to remove that side). Removing the exhaust would have helped but after looking @ the studs on the manifolds I was pretty sure they'd snap if I tried & drilling & tapping a new set of threads into a pair of 20yr old manifolds is not my idea of a fun way to burn thru a weekend. Got everything in ok this afternoon. Took the alternate road and unbolted the motor mounts then jacked the whole engine/tranny combo up until I had enuf clearance to slide the pieces to the crossmember back into place. Just taking a break now. Still need to get some silicone to reattach the transfer case & some ATF. Know anything about changes in AOD pans ? Strangely the AOD that was in there originally had a square, flat-bottomed pan w/the word "Metric" stamped into in in 4" letters. The AOD I just put in has no lettering stamped into it and it has a rectangular **** projecting out from the bottom of the pan. Haven't had a chance to ck any sites yet for info, just thought it was odd. That & the fact that the AOD I just put in had a metal data tag on it.

 

[Justshootme84]

I believe the AOD pan with the **** is from a 4wheel drive AOD