Rear Engine Cross Bar, Engine Re-installation Woes

[ahh911]

Heads up and any help appreciated.
Spent the entire day trying to install the motor. Couldn't figure out why the heck the rear engine mounts to the body were 3/8inch off front to back and short left to right. I tried rotating the engine, and after many attempts I put in any engine mount that would go in, but ended up crossthreading a transmission bolt into the housing because it was slightly off. I ended up getting the rear bracket on by loosening all the bolts including the mounts heating the rubber mount, and bending the bracket with leverage. Not fun at all, this was before I knew or remembered the bar was damaged, I noted it last year but forgot about it in my rush to beat the cold weather for install.

Today I looked again at the cross bracket pictures from when I removed the engine, and see that the left side is twisted. I guess a previous tech had a struggle removing it, any other guesses? Here is the picture. I have yet to install the transmission 12x1.5mm bolts as I spent the night recovering the female transmission mount thread, getting the bolt true is tough. I cut a small length of copper plumbing tubing, made everything square and passed the bolt through it, then I'd push the tube against the bolt in four different postions around bolt and made sure the end of the tube was flush against the female flange of the car. Then I turned the bolt to re-establish lower threads. Unpleasant.

Here's the picture that started the mess when first removed, notice the left attachment point. Does this seem like someone had a tough time removing the large bolt and one time?

Sorry, one more question, is there room to remove this cross bracket once the engine is up to height and the transmission mounts in? I want to continue hooking up everything while I wait for this part. Otherwise i wait and drop the engine before too much is hooked up.

Phil

[Flat6pac]

Many times the bolt is tight and a breaker bar on the ratchet will help.
The breaker bar will twist the bar before breaking loose
Bruce

[ahh911]

Thanks Bruce,
The whole day was this experience, I kept checking the bar was orientated correctly, looked up online how other's managed this only once I looked carefully at the old pics did it hit me what happened. Because of this I ended up doing non-conventional methods of getting the other mounts in leading to a near crossthread experience which seems to happen. And so on.

Bruce, can the bar be removed, of course while holding up the engine with everything in place? I feel I must move on before it gets too cold.

Phil

[Walt Fricke]

You should be able to remove it. You haven't installed the engine tin in that area, one supposes. Just four nuts and off it comes.

That's quite a bend, but it can be straightened and reinforced.

After using your jack to hold the engine while you work on this (note you can lower that end of the engine quite a bit if that is useful) , put in something - blocks of wood, short jack stands, something - so you aren't relying on a jack to hold the engine up for several days. I had a jack slowly lower itself once while doing this. Might just have been that jack, but why take a chance.

[tops911]

I changed the bar with the engine in the car, but I had to remove the bumper. I could not get the old bar out even lowering the engine as far as I felt comfortable. I did not remove any engine tin. Good luck

[ahh911]

Thanks Tops911, I looked down and it seemed fairly straight forward to remove, or so I thought without taking the bumper off, I guess I'll need to take a closer look. I may wait a bit, I've yet to start the engine yet, too many little things along the way. Perhaps I'll look at doing this in the spring.