front cross brace removal

[Paul Johnson]

The brace that sits right in front of the engine and keeps us from changing fan belts on the side of the road . . .
Is this piece stressed, or is it safe to remove for cleaning and painting now that I've got most of the rest of the front stuff off?

 

[danmas]

It is safe to remove it, but don't drive without it.

 

[ALLAN]

That front brace is a pain when changing belts, Im rebuilding my engine and before it goes back in Im going to notch out the brace and to keep its strenth weld in a recessed flat plate--probably about a 9" section. Allan

 

[Paul Johnson]

Thanks Danmas - definitely will put it back in before going again. Might also follow a friend's trick by hanging a spare belt behind it while it's off.

 

[Guest]

Alan, the fact that many people have difficulty putting a new belt on because the brace seems to be in the way says that the engine is generally installed too far forward. When installing my engine, I noticed that I couldn't get the belt on when I could before. Just loosened everything up that holds the engine and tranny in place and slid the whole unit back a few fractions of an inch. There is enough play in the brackets, fore and aft, as well as a splined drive shaft, that allows for play. Now, the belt is easy to work off, down, forward and over the fan.

Bill