Drivetrain Manual Shifter moves up and down some.

R82148V · Jun 14, 2023

Ahh I was looking at Stifflers. Nice!!
In prep for these polys, I put a floor jack with a piece of wood under the end of the trans just to relieve the pressure and support it while I take out the x-member.
All bolts came off pretty easy. I'm hoping the Xm will line back up with the new bushings installed without any mods. I'm sure these old bushings have been loose and crushed for a long time.

When I replaced the engine mounts, the old ones were so so bad that the cooling fan had hit the shroud and notches in the fan were created. pff

R82148V · Jun 14, 2023

limp said:
Worse scenario is unbolting it from the transmission and removing it from the car to inspect and install the bushings on your workbench. Do the new bushings come with new bolts?? If not a good time to clean up ( wire wheel) the old ones and install some silicone grease on them...
I used a stifflers also as my old one was single hump for single exhaust..
I bolted it up to 0ne side, swung it up to the other side bolted it, then bolted the transmission to it... Super easy..

Very nice! These Stifflers are definitely the way to go if you are looking to upgrade for sure!
I don't think the new bushings come with new hardware so I'll clean them up and reuse like you're saying.
Never realized these x-members made a big difference.
It never made any sense though that you have a rubber or poly support to the trans aaand more bushings and movement on the Xm.
As 5L5 said before, the Xm should never move.

R82148V · Jun 14, 2023

AeroCoupe said:
Use some scotch-brite pad and clean up the ID of the tube where they will install. Use the supplied (hopefully they come with some) grease and they should pop right in. Been running the stock crossmember with them for a looong time and zero issues.

I ended up grinding the tack welds off mine as it made life a lot easier installing the cross member and getting things to line up. If you do this then be sure to paint things as it will rust quick.

Good to know. I'm sure the IDs are all gunked up. Hopefully not rusted or pitted. I believe these bushings do come with grease so I'll be sure to use it for install.
Lining up everything is going to be a tackle. Everything is so darn tight and minimal room.

limp · Jun 14, 2023

Worse scenario...

https://lmr.com/item/LRS-6023HDW/79-93-Mustang-Trans-Cross-Member-Bolt-Nut-Kit

Mustang5L5 · Jun 15, 2023

I think having the exhaust in place is what makes it tricky, especially if you still have the stock catted H-pipe. Might have to just focus on one side at a time, and pulling each side down to swap out the bushings.

I don't recall how easy the old stuff came out however as I did it off the car which of course makes everything easier.

Dug through my old pics and i know this isn't what you have, but it does show how tight things are. Not sure i'd be able to undo one side and lower it down now that I look at it. The h-pipe makes things tricky. If your h-pipe is conneced to the trans exhaust hanger, you might have to unbolt that and pull the exhaust down far enough to give you room to work.

Such a simple install, and yet the working conditions may make it a PITA

R82148V · Jun 15, 2023

100% 5L5. It looks like an easy install but the exhaust is def in the way. I do have the stock catted H on there using the trans hangers. I thought I could wiggle the x member out. Pfff forget that. The H pipe definitely needs to come down. I disconnect one side and am about to do the other. The Xm looks like it should just fall out. I was going to change out the bushing while under the car but its way to tight and the rubber bushings seem to want to put up a fight. It’ll be more manageable on the bench.

That’s a sweet setup you have! Very very nice!

R82148V · Jun 28, 2023

UPDATE

Just wanted to give this thread and all of you an update. I was able to change out the X Member bushings from stock to Prothanes and it was pretty easy as everyone was stating. The stock ones pushed right out and the new ones pushed right in with a little elbow grease. What a dramatic difference in appearance.

I haven't been able to road test just yet. Since I had the h-pipe down, I figured I would replace the clutch cable and install MM's quadrant and firewall adjuster.
There was an old BBK in there already. Left in the pic.

looking forward to see if these bushings make a difference. The Trans mount was already replace recently and still looks good after inspection. Engine mounts too.
I'll report back after the road test.

Thanks again!

R82148V · Aug 28, 2023

UPDATE AND CLOSURE
After the road test, I was able to conclude that all the movement I was having was indeed from the worn out old / stock trans x-member bushings.
The prothans really made a positive dramatic difference with very little movement at all.

The MM quadrant, FWA and OEM non-adjustable cable came out great. The pedal starts to grab about 1 1/2" off the follow and is a smooth travel in total.
It helped in relieving some of the hard pedal feeling but it still feels like a manual cable clutch pedal. I assume that is to be expected with a manual cable clutch pedal in a fox.

Thanks again for everyone's help and I hope this post helps others!

Drivetrain Manual Shifter moves up and down some.

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TITLE: Manual Shifter moves up and down some - CASE CLOSED!

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