[Ron H]

Does the mid plate mount to the frame rails the same way you would the front plate?

[Ron]

I have the BOP plate along with the belt drive. I also have an engine limiter installed. It bolts to the stock motor mount holes and then to a bracket on the frame. It is an arm that limits fore and aft movement of the drive train. It is mounted on the drivers side.

When using a mid plate you need to tell your torque converter supplier how thick the mid plate is and they can compensate for that dimension.

I can pull the motor and leave the trans in or pull the trans and leave the motor in. When pulling the motor I put a jack underneath the trans and remove the engine then stick a bolt thru a mounting hole in the trans and the mid plate.

[Robert C.]

Originally Posted by marks73ta

Robert C or anyone with experience. You mention that with the mid plate you can pull the motor and leave the trans bolted up. Question (maybe a dumb one) I can see the trans pulled and the motor still supported by the locating dowels thru the plate to support the motor. But what do you do when you pull the motor and leave the trans? Is there something I'm not seeing on the plate that remains bolted to the trans once the motor and dowels are removed or are you saying once the motor is removed you then put some bolts back in thru the plate into the trans? Also , are spacers included with the mid plates to relocate the converter due to the thickness of the plate? Just curious, Thanks Mark L

This is how it is done.

Make sure you have welded a piece of angle under the plate for support after you have the motor and trans and plate in place. Or this could be a U bent shape of 3/8 rod about 4 inches long having it 2 inches in front of the plate. This is so when you are putting the motor back in, all that you have to do is rest the mid plate on the angle or rod and slide it back.

If you want to keep the trans in place you counter sink the top two bolts holes on the motor side for a 3/8 flat head screws. Tack weld them to the motor side of the plate so they will not turn. To remove the trans you take out all of the nuts and remove the trans.

To remove the motor and leave the trans you remove all of the bolts but the center two and slide the motor back. And if you want to make it easier you get two 3'' long 3/8 -16 studs and lock tight them in place of two of the bolts. Now the studs will locate the motor to the trans and all that you do is just push straight in.

No spacers are with the plates. You will need washers the same thickness with the plates to put between the torque converter and the fly wheel.

[Ron Genovese]

Is it ok to eliminate the water passage between the timing cover & the water crossover in the intake manifold? My machinist says hes done it before with no issues. He builds Peter Biondo's motors for super stock racing, and says that he welded his closed also.

[Tom Vaught]

The water passage between the timing cover and the intake manifold is there to by-pass water around the Thermostat when the engine is cold until the T-Stat opens. You run a restrictor ring in place of the T-Stat when you block the hole.

Tom V.

[Ron Genovese]

That's what I thought! I couldn't find a water flow diagram anywhere to confirm. Thanks for the reply.