The Vintage Mod E

The Vintage Mod E-letter

Volume VII, March 2005

Introducing the UTC Universal Transmission Crossmember!

(Patent pending)

The DVS Restorations patent pending transmission crossmember fully adjusts to fit most popular Ford drivetrain combinations. The right photo shows the installation in the Mustang in Black Project - a T-45 transmission, 4.6 4V motor AND Macpherson strut front suspension. About as wild as it gets. It took 20 minutes to install!!

The idea for a universal transmission crossmember came after we needed to fabricate a crossmember for the Mustang in Black project car. Thinking we were going to have to design a crossmember for over a dozen different engine, transmission and front suspension combos, I started looking for ways to make a brace that would work for most situations. I also had reason to make a new brace based on three separate experiences:

1. - A brief confrontation with a popular aftermarket AOD crossmember. The owner of one of the vehicles in our shop had sold the drivetrain, and in the process of pulling the AOD out of his car, we discovered that the crossmember had been modified to make it fit the convertible chassis. Our first thought was "what a piece of work!" HOWEVER - we took the crossmember over to another car on the rotisserie to compare it to the other car, and the bracket actually fit worse! The truth is - it wasn't the bracket - it's the cars!

2. - The next situation came when we were installing a Mustang II suspension on a 70 Mach I. The MII instructions specifically state that you'll have to modify the transmission crossmember after installing their kit. The crossmember in this case was a solid bar unit for a Tremec transmission - not a pleasant thing to do!

3. - The final situation was the 66 convertible a customer brought to us that had a T-5 and Tri Y headers. The only way the customer could get everything to work was to add an inch long extension to the aftermarket crossmember to make room for his specific headers. This pulled the drivetrain down and made interference with some other items in the vehicle.

Left - installation of an '03 GT engine, AOD-E transmission with stock suspension in a 65 Mustang fastback

Right - 67 Mustang with Toploader installation. The transmission bracket is designed to allow extra clearance for exhaust if needed

DVS Restorations is proud to announce the release of their new Universal Transmission Crossmember. This crossmember kit is designed to install all popular Ford transmissions into vintage Mustang and other Ford chassis with ease. The patented design allows 6 inches of adjustment in all three axis to allow for proper fit at the correct 4 degree angle. The benefits of this bracket kit are:

* Works with most popular Ford Transmissions - 3 speeds, toploaders, T-5s, T-45s, T-56, Tremecs, C4, C6, FMX, AODs, AOD-Es and more

* Adjusts to allow proper alignment of the drivetrain at the proper 4 degree angle

* Adjusts to most engine/trans/front suspension combinations (Mustang II conversions, e.g.)

* Adjusts to allow additional header and exhaust clearance as needed

* Adjusts to imperfections in the chassis

* Can be bolted or welded in place

* With bolt in installation, can be re-used if the transmission is converted to something else in the future!

The Universal Transmission Crossmember also has the following features:

* computer laser cut components

* epoxy powder coated to resist chipping

* chrome molly side bracing

* grade 5 and B7 strength hardware

* Special locking fasteners assure that the bracket won't move after final installation

* Full color instructions

The Universal Transmission Crossmember is being offered at the introductory price of $129. For more information, please contact DVS Restorations at utc@dvsrestorations.com

Dealer inquiries are invited

Engine Wiring - So what's the deal?

A Cobra 4.6 4V harness on the wire board shows just a few of the connections in just one of the harnesses in a modern Mustang.

Q. So, we've been waiting for an engine harness to make our 4.6 systems work in our old cars. Do you have a solution?

A. No. Why? Here's why - although there are several harnesses out on the market right now, most of what we have found require some kind of modification to make them work. FAST systems makes a harness that works with their EEC-V system, but you need to convert all your sensors over to GM pieces to make it work. Other harness builders require you to send in some of your old connectors so they can reuse them. That's because they've already gone obsolete with Ford and nobody can get them.

The big reason nobody has a universal engine harness is because none of the engines are universal. Ford has done a lot of things to the wiring to thwart exactly what we're trying to do - mix and match parts. In between engines, body styles and years Ford changes the following:

* Physical components. They will change a component (injectors, e.g.) and the new component will have different pinouts, even in the same year engine!

* Connector differences. Ford will change the connectors to prevent mix and match. Example - The main connector on the engine to PCM harnesses are keyed different on a 03 GT motor than an 03 Cobra motor. On an LTD, the male/female connectors are reversed so you can't interchange them.

On the left is a PCM to engine harness connector from an 01 LTD 4.6 2V. On the right is the same connection point from a 1999 Cobra harness. One's male, one's female, keyed different AND the pinouts have been changed!!

* Wiring differences. Ford will frequently change wiring line locations. A signal line in one chassis will be in a completely different place in another - for no reason. On a Mustang with our aftermarket computer system, some systems require that you move the ground wire depending on year and style of motor.

* In addition, not everyone doing a mod motor conversion seems to want the same systems. Some of our customers want to run the CCRM, GEM and other systems, while some simply want to run the engine.

SO WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?

The only way to make a true "universal" system would be to make everyone comply to something they may not want, which would require component changes, all new wiring and a new computer system. It just doesn't sound very universal to us - more like forced compliance.

A custom built PCM harness to connect an SDS EEC-V computer system directly to a late model GT engine. The only thing this harness cares about is controlling the motor.

DVS Restorations, Inc. can custom build your harness to work in your system with the components you require. Basically, we can rebuild your harnesses to work with the systems you want, and remove those systems you don't want. We can make them work with stock or aftermarket computer systems as well. We can work with you on cable lengths and placements. Since this is a custom service, contact DVS Restorations directly for more information on custom wiring harness services.

MUSTANG IN BLACK TO DEBUT AT THE COLUMBUS, OHIO SWAP MEET

By hook or by crook, we will have the MIB car on display at the annual All Ford Spring Swap meet April 2-3 in Columbus, Ohio ( www.springswap.com ). We will be in the Buckeye building on the east side of the fairgrounds. Make sure you stop in and see MIB first and say hey. We may not be awake - we're trying to get it done!

DVS Restorations, Inc.

910 S. Louise Ave., Crawfordsville, Indiana 47933

(765) 362-1967 www.dvsrestorations.com