Doing a t56 and ls1 swap and trying to decide on a crossmember so I can start mocking things up. Have not read the best things about the spohn because of exhaust clearance. Which one would those of you that have done this recommend? For exhaust I'm planning on using the stock ls1 manifolds and having a shop fab the rest if it matters.

 

anybody?

 

I have the Spohn one; fits my exhaust (3" Hooker) just fine.

I think the people who have trouble, are the ones with "custom" exhaust.

If you're planning on doing it the hard way, you might have trouble too; couldn't really say.

 

not sure what the easy way vs the hard way is. i'm sure the $800 longtubes from hawks make it easy, but would rather just keep the stock manifolds for now.

 

Easy = build it carefully so that a stock configuration exhaust, which is to say an off-the-shelf OOB package, will hook up to it

Hard = jam a bunch of who knows what on there and then pay Cletus and Johnboy to hack something on behind it that sorta hooks up to it but has all manner of poor (more like non-existent) engineering issues like, hits things, can't get the starter out, etc.

Couldn't say about the Hawks deal.

 

I'd love to do it the easiest way possible. Didn't look like there were too way off the shelf options. It sounds like you have the swap done, what did you do for your exhaust setup?

 

If you're going to keep the stock torque arm, the easiest way is using the Hawk's double hump crossmember. It fits well (still may take some ovaling of the holes) and allows plenty of exhaust clearance.

I copied someone else idea and combined the Spohn piece with the Hawk's piece for a frankenstein unit that allowed me to use the adjustable torque arm.






I had a local exhaust shop make hook up the two 3" pipes into a Flowmaster 3" into 4" merge and it works great. Good ground clearance and the Flowmaster merge does not have any rasp. Plus, with the cutout open it sounds wicked.