I have swapped in a T56 behind the 350 in my '89. My first crossmember was the UMI and I couldn't get it to bolt up and install. After reading through some other members' issues, I may have been able to try harder and get it installed, but not sure. I currently have a Spohn, and like everyone else with lowered suspension, I can hit a gum wrapper with it and I know what brand it was. The car isn't on bags or anything, just UMI springs, control arms, and koni's. I'm not really interested in changing out the torque arm and mount at this stage of the game, as I'm more building a solid platform and fixing old stuff before adding horsepower. The BMR looks like it offers a lot more ground clearance, but I don't really get why the description says: NOTE: As shipped, this part is designed to work with BMR torque arms only. It may be used with stock or other brands by simply replacing the bushing with the compatible unit.
From outward appearance, it doesn't look like it should have anything to do with the torque arm mount. Link to BMR part
I'm not a fabricator, so I don't have the skill set to build my own. Any help, advice, experience with the BMR unit, or other suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

 

 

I would guess they copy pasted that from the description from one of their torque arm relocating crossmembers as a mistake.

 

I have the Hawk's in-house crossmember that came with their swap kit (including transmission). It works fine for my stock height purposes paired with an Energy Suspension bushing. I did have to cut one corner slightly to get around my Alston inner subframe connectors. But now it appears they no longer offer this part and their swap kits now come with the stock LT1 crossmember. Do you have an LT1 or LS1 transmission? It does seem to be a little less bulky than the Sphon part.

 

I have a Spohn one. It kinda suffers from the same ... feature. Yes it's BULKY; that's typical of Steve; he likes to use ALOT of steel in all his products. He certainly can't be accused of cheeeeeping out on raw materials.

The "frame" where the crossmember bolts up, isn't parallel to the ground. By extending the mount rearwards, it lowers the rear end of itself, which (duh) brings it closer to the ground; and worse, when you go over a dip followed by a bump (think, crossing a busy road during a green light, at cruising speed), the crossmember exerts torque on the frame that the frame is too weeeeeeeek to resist because it's so weeeeeenie to begin with, bending it down even further for an instant during the dip, and making it scrape when you hit the bump right afterwards. Problem then is, if they tilt it upwards very much, it runs into the tunnel; and there's no real practical way for yerbasic installer laying on his back in the driveway to brace the car's "frame" so that the crossmember doesn't wag itself, like the tail wagging the dog. It's a tough situation.

 

I've got an LT1 T56. I agree, everyone else's crossmember doesn't have as much hanging below the frame, but I've smacked it pretty hard and barely knocked the powdercoat off of it.

 

@WildCard600 I was kind of thinking the same thing, maybe even a CYA situation.