Aftermarket trans crossmembers

[MikeB]

Would like to hear good and bad comments about aftermarket trans crossmembers for 82 C10 with TH350. Currently have one pipe below and the other pipe above the stock crossmember, but would like to run pipes straight back.

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[HotRodPC]

Any luck finding anything out Mike? I'm not even sure I know of anyone who has used an aftermarket crossmember in a square. Now I know some guys have made their own, like when they needed the W crosssmember for a 4x4 that's fairly hard to find these days since it was only used for 2 years in 85 and 86 trucks.

I'll move this to the transmission section and see if we can't get any more responses. I just think it's very rare to need an aftermarket for a square and probably why no response. I know for like G body cars, El Camino, Olds Cutlass and such there is an aftermarket crossmembers due to them being Unibody, the frame doesn't go all the way back so many times to use a 700r4 or Th400 on one of those bodies you can't use the OEM crossmember because it runs out of frame to slide the crossmember back, so you need one kind of like a V shape.

 

[74 Shortbed]

https://www.google.com/search?clien.......0...1c..64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.BvTE_hEp2Zo

 

[bluex]

I have the CPP one. It fit well an was pretty cheap through summit.

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[foamypirate]

I used one from Tejas Steelworks. They are pretty nice. They have version for C10/C20 and 1-ton/crewcab.

Plenty of clearance for exhaust. If I recall, they are designed to tuck a 3" exhaust flush or slightly tucked, relative to the bottom of the frame.

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[Jrgunn5150]

I also have the Tejas one, not installed yet, but I see no reason it wouldn't work for literally any combo nearly.

 

[HotRodPC]

I used one from Tejas Steelworks. They are pretty nice. They have version for C10/C20 and 1-ton/crewcab.

Plenty of clearance for exhaust. If I recall, they are designed to tuck a 3" exhaust flush or slightly tucked, relative to the bottom of the frame.

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That is nice, as well as the exhaust and it doesn't even look crowded and crammed together.

About time to see you drop in Jake. I seen a post the other day. Fatherhood kinda takes away time for forums doesn't it??? All that family hood going well?

 

[MikeB]

Any luck finding anything out Mike?

Thanks for moving this thread.

The Tejas crossmember looks nice, and is very similar to one from Ingenuity Fab & Speed, also in Texas. Both are very expensive.

I may try the CPP crossmember, but in the past have found their parts to be hit and miss. Used one in a 55 Chevy car, and it was around 1" too short of optimum, but I was able to make it work with the supplied brackets.

 

[rpcraft]

Thanks for moving this thread.

The Tejas crossmember looks nice, and is very similar to one from Ingenuity Fab & Speed, also in Texas. Both are very expensive.

I may try the CPP crossmember, but in the past have found their parts to be hit and miss. Used one in a 55 Chevy car, and it was around 1" too short of optimum, but I was able to make it work with the supplied brackets.

I used one from Tejas Steelworks. They are pretty nice. They have version for C10/C20 and 1-ton/crewcab.

Plenty of clearance for exhaust. If I recall, they are designed to tuck a 3" exhaust flush or slightly tucked, relative to the bottom of the frame.

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Scotty makes a great set of parts. if you guys ever get the itch to do an LS swap be sure and contact him about adapter mounts and other LS swap goodies. For any 4 x 4 owners we'll be working towards making one for the various years of the K5, K10, and K20 models as well. No timeline yet, I'm still collecting all the original cross -members and transfer case adapters so we can make sure we get the angles of the dangles correct.

 

[spanky55amg]

Hey, Im bringing this up from the dead from last year before I start a new one.

The one from CPP is like $80/90 and Summit is right down the road. So no shipping.
Scotty's is $125 and I might be able to pick one up from him (if he has them built and allows me to pick it up) this week. I dont plan on laying frame

So that said, is $45 worth Scotty's? first question.

Second question. My truck originally came with a TH350 and has a 700r4. I take it the crossmember is the stock one, it bolts to the bottom of the passenger frame rail and the side of the drivers frame rail. (this one is all bent up and is missing the "top" part of the passenger side, and only had a bolt that was hand tight on that side). -- question is that I am assuming that I am drilling mounting holes for any of the transmission crossmembers, correct?

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Hey, Im bringing this up from the dead from last year before I start a new one.

The one from CPP is like $80/90 and Summit is right down the road. So no shipping.
Scotty's is $125 and I might be able to pick one up from him (if he has them built and allows me to pick it up) this week. I dont plan on laying frame

So that said, is $45 worth Scotty's? first question.

Second question. My truck originally came with a TH350 and has a 700r4. I take it the crossmember is the stock one, it bolts to the bottom of the passenger frame rail and the side of the drivers frame rail. (this one is all bent up and is missing the "top" part of the passenger side, and only had a bolt that was hand tight on that side). -- question is that I am assuming that I am drilling mounting holes for any of the transmission crossmembers, correct?

I've not seen the CPP one in person or anything, but I really wouldn't trade my Tejas one. I have no regrets, I went from N/A with dumps and a TH350 to Turbo with a 4L80E to N/A with a 4L80e and full exhaust and it's accommodated all of those combos easily.

Also, he's pretty focused on our market, so I have no problem paying him a little extra to support it. He offers alot of swap tech and advice.

Just my opinion on it, I'm sure the CPP one is fine too, it's a fairly simple part, kinda hard to mess up lol.

 

[spanky55amg]

I will take all those points.

I guess I should’ve prefaced that I’m being a penny pincher. But I guess money spent now is less money spent later.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

I will take all those points.

I guess I should’ve prefaced that I’m being a penny pincher. But I guess money spent now is less money spent later.

I am also lol. I don't mind throwing a few dollars the little guy's way, as long as I feel I'm not being taken advantage of.

Like, some people import stuff, or knock it off, or just squeeze people. THose people, I have absolutely no problem undercutting.

Scotty goes out of his way to put together guides and parts, even recommends his competitors sometimes. I just feel he's a good guy and has some integrity, so I go through him whenever I do buy something. Other stuff though, like, I'm not paying anyone for an ECU mount lol.

 

[rpcraft]

I've not seen the CPP one in person or anything, but I really wouldn't trade my Tejas one. I have no regrets, I went from N/A with dumps and a TH350 to Turbo with a 4L80E to N/A with a 4L80e and full exhaust and it's accommodated all of those combos easily.

Also, he's pretty focused on our market, so I have no problem paying him a little extra to support it. He offers alot of swap tech and advice.

Just my opinion on it, I'm sure the CPP one is fine too, it's a fairly simple part, kinda hard to mess up lol.

Great points there. I know I contact Scotty about a lot of side stuff personally that has nothing to do with Square body swaps and he alwyas answers his IM's. I consider him a good friend. My only regret is that I found out about him and his products after I bought the dirty dangle mounts and did a bunch of things wrong the first time. I would have spent more for his mounts then and less for having to buy a second pair that still gave me issues, but I'm still considering going back and buying his engine mounts. If that tells you anything, in my case it would also mean customizing two driveshafts, so think about that, much less the extra money for his mounts. If he made a 4wd crossmember I'd pony up for it too, but I think he is still working beyond the complications of all the various 4wd crossmembers and Tcase adapters (and that is another story, lol).

Wheather you have to drill holes or not depends on whose motor mounts you are using but it's not too hard to drill new holes if you need to. If someone had a th350 in it at one time and you go with the 4l60E and Tejas mounts I think it works out that the mounts slide the motor forward enough to where if you had the th350 the 4l60E now bolts in it's place, but it sounds like you will already have multiple holes in it, so you might just check the furthest forward set of holes. If you have 4 sets of holes and still need to drill some you might want to either weld up the old holes or lay some 1/8 plate on the top side of the bottom rail just to help offset the missing metal. Might be overkill though.

 

[HotRodPC]

Hey, Im bringing this up from the dead from last year before I start a new one.

The one from CPP is like $80/90 and Summit is right down the road. So no shipping.
Scotty's is $125 and I might be able to pick one up from him (if he has them built and allows me to pick it up) this week. I dont plan on laying frame

So that said, is $45 worth Scotty's? first question.

Second question. My truck originally came with a TH350 and has a 700r4. I take it the crossmember is the stock one, it bolts to the bottom of the passenger frame rail and the side of the drivers frame rail. (this one is all bent up and is missing the "top" part of the passenger side, and only had a bolt that was hand tight on that side). -- question is that I am assuming that I am drilling mounting holes for any of the transmission crossmembers, correct?

I take it this is a 2wd? Do you ever get through OKC? Or anyone of your family or friends? I've got plenty of those 2wd Auto Trans crossmembers. They should be the same for Th350 and 700r4 and for Th400 and 3/4 ton trucks too for that matter. It would take me a bit to get it since it's out at my dads, but I have 1 if you need it.