Has anyone successfully used the USCartool A500 Crossmember?

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MileHighDart said:
Thanks Garth, I was thinking of trying that, was just waiting to see if someone brought it up before I tried it.
Got the car up in the air this morning and got that starter swapped out, works great now.
So right now I'm on my third official test drive. Driving to work, which is around 1/2 hour each way and mostly highway.
Love flipping that switch and watching the rpm drop, the car gets quieter which is nice too.
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I believe the lockup should drop the rpm a few hundred?
 
Just a little update: Since I got the swap done (basically done) a couple months ago I've hardly had a chance to drive it. Seems its been snowing like every 2 or 3 days for the last two months.

Anyway, I'd been having a problem with the lockup, basically not locking up. It worked once, on my first test drive and then never worked again. Didn't figure my brand new switch was bad, but tested it anyway, switch is good. So I figured maybe I had a bad solenoid for the lockup, overdrive was working fine.
So I got online and bought a new solenoid pack, and finally got it in today and got everything buttoned back up.
Went for a nice 40 minute drive (with snow falling again, but not sticking yet), and lockup is now working !
Success !
Also on my first test drives my speedo wasn't working, but got that sorted out.
So on the way home with the overdrive on I can do 70mph at 2500rpm.
I like it !
 
I started mine this weekend with the US cartool mount. My mount so far is perfect, goes right in and clears the OD unit. It doesn't look like I'll have to trim much out. Gonna work on it some more tonight.

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MileHighDart said:
Just a little update: Since I got the swap done (basically done) a couple months ago I've hardly had a chance to drive it. Seems its been snowing like every 2 or 3 days for the last two months.

Anyway, I'd been having a problem with the lockup, basically not locking up. It worked once, on my first test drive and then never worked again. Didn't figure my brand new switch was bad, but tested it anyway, switch is good. So I figured maybe I had a bad solenoid for the lockup, overdrive was working fine.
So I got online and bought a new solenoid pack, and finally got it in today and got everything buttoned back up.
Went for a nice 40 minute drive (with snow falling again, but not sticking yet), and lockup is now working !
Success !
Also on my first test drives my speedo wasn't working, but got that sorted out.
So on the way home with the overdrive on I can do 70mph at 2500rpm.
I like it !
Click to expand...
Success!!!
 
MileHighDart said:
Well, tried to drop my driveshaft off today. Sign on the door, closed through thursday. So Guess I'll have to wait till friday on that.
Couldn't leave the crossmember bare metal, so threw a little paint on it. Paint is good cause that means I'm done messing with the crossmember.

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How did you decide where, or how high, to weld the mount plate to the cross member? (The piece that the trans mount bolts to)
 
plumkrazee70 said:
How did you decide where, or how high, to weld the mount plate to the cross member? (The piece that the trans mount bolts to)
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I know you were not asking me, but I used an empty trans case to mock in place. I had to trim a little more (where the red is), not wider but what was already cut. Pretty much just the part that touches the floorboard stays.
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jrlegacy23 said:
I know you were not asking me, but I used an empty trans case to mock in place. I had to trim a little more (where the red is), not wider but what was already cut. Pretty much just the part that touches the floorboard stays.
View attachment 1715480559

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Thanks. But I am CLEAR on where to cut. However the US CarTool cross member comes with another piece that is supposed to get welded to the cross member itself. That piece holds the rubber mount.
My question is how do you determine where on the cross member so you weld it. @MileHighDart ?
 
plumkrazee70 said:
Thanks. But I am CLEAR on where to cut. However the US CarTool cross member comes with another piece that is supposed to get welded to the cross member itself. That piece holds the rubber mount.
My question is how do you determine where on the cross member so you weld it. @MileHighDart ?
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My bad, it wasn't clear to me til I read this response. Every car is just a hair different, especially being that we are modifying the crossmember ourselves. Ssome cut out more than others, some are lowered, some have SS springs. So they leave it unwelded for you to set your angle where you want, and tack in place. Check it, re-check it, weld in in place
 
jrlegacy23 said:
My bad, it wasn't clear to me til I read this response. Every car is just a hair different, especially being that we are modifying the crossmember ourselves. Ssome cut out more than others, some are lowered, some have SS springs. So they leave it unwelded for you to set your angle where you want, and tack in place. Check it, re-check it, weld in in place
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Right. Should I wait until the Driveshaft is made before welding that tab on? What the beat way to check the angle?
 
plumkrazee70 said:
Right. Should I wait until the Driveshaft is made before welding that tab on? What the beat way to check the angle?
Click to expand...
I made my car level by putting a level on the rockers, then jacked the trans so it was pointed on the rear. I then just used a harbor freight $4.95 angle finder and placed it on the end of the trans. It was 4 degrees down, I adjusted it to five degrees down figuring it was easier to add a spacer to lift up that to re-cut to move down.
This may not be the ideal way, or correct way, but it worked.
image_17440.jpg
 
jrlegacy23 said:
I made my car level by putting a level on the rockers, then jacked the trans so it was pointed on the rear. I then just used a harbor freight $4.95 angle finder and placed it on the end of the trans. It was 4 degrees down, I adjusted it to five degrees down figuring it was easier to add a spacer to lift up that to re-cut to move down.
This may not be the ideal way, or correct way, but it worked.
View attachment 1715480700
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Oh ok. You had the trans bolted to the motor, while you did this?
 
jrlegacy23 said:
yes, I had the empty case bolted in the car, to the engine. You can see it in the pictures.
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Great. Thanks. I read a ton today about pinion angles. I'll pick up that angle finder and measure the pinion angle and then figure where the trans needs to be.

From what I read, the driveline needs to be paralell with the crank at wot. The pinion will move up about 3* from where it is when the suspension is loaded. So if the pinion is down 3*, the trans will need to be 0* (just an example)
 
plumkrazee70 said:
How did you decide where, or how high, to weld the mount plate to the cross member? (The piece that the trans mount bolts to)
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply, been busy with other things.
Basically what I did was bolt the transmission up to the engine, then jack the back of the transmission up far enough to bolt the crossmember in place. I originally tacked the mount on kind of at the bottom. Bottom of mount even with the bottom of the crossmember. When I test fit, and had the trans as high as I could, but with some clearance left between the trans and the tunnel, and I had the rubber mount in, I could see that I should have welded it a little higher. Left the transmission jacked up where I wanted it, I took the crossmember off, and cut off my tack welds. I moved the mount up just a bit, probably between 1/4" and 3/8", and welded it in place for good. I didn't want to go too high, cause then if I had problems with clearance I'd have to cut the welds out again. I purposely left it a bit low, and if I needed to bump it up a little on final install, I could just throw a couple of washers in between the crossmember mount and the rubber mount. Which I did in the end. Just tried to get it looking level, and the tail end looking the same distance from the too of the tunnel as the old 904 was.
I didn't use gauge to check drive line angles or anything, and it all runs smooth. But I do plan on getting one and checking to see where I'm at. Just didn't have one at the time.
I hope that helps some.
 
plumkrazee70 said:
Oh ok. You had the trans bolted to the motor, while you did this?
Click to expand...
Just seeing this.
I must have mocked up my transmission 4 or 5 times throughout the coarse of the entire install, checking and rechecking clearances and positions to try to get to the sweetest spot.
I also tack welded the rear mount while in place and supported the case on the crossmember with a wooden shim that allowed me to position the angle in an acceptable range. I also left room for a shim if needed.
When I was done I installed my shortened driveshaft, which I measured for and had shortened after the transmission and mount was all installed, then used that cool tremec tool box app driveline angle finder to confirm it was all good.
https://www.tremec.com/menu/tremec-toolbox-app/
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Haven't finished my punchlist to drive yet but working on it.
 
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