I'm building a 69 with 408 BB and 700r4 transmission. I purchased a crossmember from BTO and they told me not to worry about the 1" offset I need for the big block. I am using the correct motor stands and mounts which positions the motor a little to the passanger side. What do you guys think? I already installed it, but now I am thinking about fabricating it. The motor is a roller motor and the stock valve covers won't fit because of the roller rockers and valve locks. I am looking at a set of covers from Ansen USA that are really sharp looking. They are 3" tall and rounded on the edges. I am concerned about the clearance between the driver's side valve cover and brake booster. I was wondering if I moved the transmission mount an inch over to the passanger side, would it give me some noticeable room between the valve cover and the brake booster??

Thanks for the input.

It might... what concerns me more, is that a mechanical fan might chew up the radiator shroud, if the trans. is not offset.

Thanks for the reply Tom. I'm running a stock clutch fan and there is not a clearance issue. I'm just not sure if no offset with the crossmember will cause problems down the road.

I bought an overdrive from BTO and had them move the pad over 1". It was the same price, so why not have them do it right.

Dean

I wish they would have offered to do so. I asked them about it before I installed it and they said the offset was not anything to worry about. Maybe it isn't, but I wish I would have done what you did. Thanks Dean.

Another way around this is to get the tranny mount with 3 holes. Instead of using the two outside holes, move the tranny over 1 inch and use the center hole of the tranny mount. The early 80's firebirds used a tranny mount with a single stud, so it is not unheard of. This would allow you to use the xmember you have and still move it over. Just a thought.

Dean

Well I bought a poly trans. mount with three holes today. I used the center hole like you said and the engine now sits straight. Thanks for the advice Dean. I now have a little more clearance between the power brake booster and the driver's side valve cover. The rubber mount I had also had three holes but it would not work. The metal ends on the mount hit the lip on the crossmember mounting tab. Hard to explain unless you look at the way the BTO crossmember is made. The poly mount is made different and it allowed me to slide the transmission over about 3/4" over to the passanger side without interference. Thanks again,

Rick