D53:Transmission Tunnel Finishing

I wanted to show an update to the transmission tunnel changes. Obviously the larger tubes are visible, but also the removal of the lower crossbar that I kept having to move up and down with the engine. I'll add it back when I get the engine height finalized.

D51:Rear Sub Frame and Tranny Tunnel Mods

I worked on a few frame mods today. First was doing some welding and finishing on the new mounts for the rear sub-frame.

I also swapped the lower transmission tunnel tubes for 1" square instead of the previous 3/4" square tubes. I was worried that with the transmission/engine weight on these two members was too much for a 3/4" tube.

D41: PT1 - Transmission Mount

Here's the transmission mount with the transmission sitting on it. I plan on adding supports on both sides, but wanted to check the positioning and height of the mount first. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm still trying to figure out the best way of making it serviceable once the interior body panels get attached since the lower mount bolts won't be accessible from underneath the car. Most likely some access plates will need to be installed.

In the third pic, the new mount is next to the original from the donor. I tried as best as possible to copy the angles/design of the original when building the new one. Without a great way of getting all the angles (I still need to buy a shop compass) I was forced to trace the shape of the original on my work table and then sketch cut lines on the tubing for the new mount.

... and in case you're curious, that funny looking bead around one of the transmission mounts is the gorilla glue that seeped out the sides when I glued the mount back together (it split in half when I pulled the engine/tranny out of the donor). I'm planning on getting a new one before final assembly... but pondering the "locost" win of using it as is.

D39:Transmission Tunnel D1

The engine mount plates are trimmed and the transmission tunnel is tacked in. I still need to add the supports to the transmission tunnel, but at least the outline is there. I've fully embraced the "cut-to-fit" mentality at this point. This is especially true when cutting a "double" angle, for example, down 15 deg and right 10 deg. The math for cuts like these can get a little ridiculous.