H55F swap custom cross memeber and skid plate

[Wheelingnoob]

Anyone done anything like this?

We are swapping a H55F into Gavin's HJ60 in the next few months. One place I have been toying of doing something a bit different is in the cross member area. His being a auto now has the frame mount to far back. I was toying with using that frame mount as the rear mount area for the skid plate and track bar mount. Then making a forward frame mount to kind of go across where the factory H55 cross meber sits (allowing room for the front shaft).

3 things I hope to achieve with this is a strong belly pan (skid plate) a rear cross member to mount future track bar too and a front trans mount for new H55 trans mount location.

Anyone ever done anything like this? I have searched a few days and come up mostly dry.

 

[Granite Grinder]

Do you not think there might be some driveline interference, with say the rear drive shaft. And, does the t/case clear the old auto mount? The cross member is what, 7 inches further back (just a guess). Lucky for me, my donour frame had a 5 speed in it and I kept the drive shafts from my 85 BJ60, which was a 5 speed as well. The one constant in the 60 series is bellhousing placement, doesn't matter which tranny or engine was used, the bellhousing was always in the same place.

 

[Wheelingnoob]

Do you not think there might be some driveline interference, with say the rear drive shaft. And, does the t/case clear the old auto mount? The cross member is what, 7 inches further back (just a guess). Lucky for me, my donour frame had a 5 speed in it and I kept the drive shafts from my 85 BJ60, which was a 5 speed as well. The one constant in the 60 series is bellhousing placement, doesn't matter which tranny or engine was used, the bellhousing was always in the same place.

Yes figured there will be drive train interference that's part of the reason for this post. We have all the 5spd parts drive shafts and all. The rear will be modified with a Double cardon joint and the high angle joint we have on the rear now will go on the front.

We have not fit anything into Gavin's truck yet, we are holding off a few months on the swap over. To get parts and a full game plan of how we want to lay it out. I was not intending to use the stock A440 or H55 cross member. I know there is interfearace with the auto one as the t case on the H55 is about right in line with it. I was planing on possibly using the A440 frame mounts as a mounting point for the custom cross member skid plate combo if it fit. If they are in the way I will have to make it all from scratch not a big deal.

The easy way to do this would be to re use the stock H55 cross member and move the frame mounts. I just thought since we are in there and need a skid plate and track bar mount anyway why not build them all into one.

Wanted to see if anyone had done something similar with there trucks to get ideas from.

Good to know about the bell housing placement.