shift rod to engine bar clearance problems, tailshift to sideshift conversion Options

[mightyohm]

My car is a 72 with a sideshift conversion (done long before I bought the car). The engine mount bar originally had the ends chopped down to raise the motor, apparently so that the shift rod would clear the bar in 4th/5th gear. I need to lower the motor to get my 2.0L airbox to fit, so I am putting in a stock engine mount bar, and now the shift rod rubs a little bit when I try to shift into 4th or 5th.

Do the tailshift cars have the shift rod up higher on the firewall than sideshift cars? I had never heard that before but bondo says he thinks he has heard of this issue before. I can't imagine that I am the only person to run into this clearance issue if this is true.

I managed to bend the rod a bit by pulling down on it but I'd like to get a little more clearance. I'm not sure how easy it will be to bend the shift rod more without making a jig to keep the ends in the right alignment. Has anyone done this before?

[Dave_Darling]

Do you still have the rubber mounts on the outer ends of the bar? If so, you might want to replace them with the stock late-style metal mounts. (Just some U-channel cut so it fits in the "pod", with a hole in the middle and holes for the two mounting bolts.) The early rubber mounts drop the bar too low and you get interference with the shift rod.

Clay tells me you can get more clearance by turning the rubber mounts upside down. No clue if it works, but that's what he has said. Should be cheaper and easier than buying or fabbing the metal ones.

BTW, it was good to see you and Kylie this weekend! Lisa says hi, too!

--DD