Oh no! Another 2.8 -> 4.0 question!

[Joop]

Swapping drivetrain from 2.8 5speed to 4.0 aw4 i have run into a problem with the transmision crossmember. Have search both here and several other forums and people say the holes should be there and it should be a simple bolt on. Well... not on my truck!!!

Then i start to think (oh no, not again...) would it be :nuts: to drill holes right through the frame and through the floor, using long bolts to hold the crossmeber in position? Worried that might weaken the frame...

And by the way, is the floor resting directly on top of the frame?

[Oizarod115]

its a unibody truck so the frame and body are one up by the cab but behind there its a decent frame with the bed bolted on like a normal truck.

 

so yeah the floor is part of the frame sorta.

[Eagle]

There are two sets of holes in the unibody ("frame") rails for the cross member. One set should be 10" back from the LCA mounts, the other set is 14" back. Whichever set was NOT used by your original engine/tranny combination probably is just a hole, with no threads. You can use thread inserts to create a thread that will hold up the cross member. The "frame" isn't thick enough to try threading that and expecting it to hold any weight.