I just joined the Forum. I have a 76 roadster with 2.8 V6 and WC T5, all suspension and brakes are stock. I would like to lower my car and I have seen lowering blocks for the rear and springs for the front. I was looking at the crossmember and saw the spacers added to raise the ride height and was wonderin could these be removed to lower the front in addition to springs.
I'm not sure if you can just remove the spacers from the rubber bumper crossmember, but swapping the x member out for a chrome bumper x member has been done. Just keep in mind whether you remove those spacers or swap in a chrome bumper x member, either way it's going to screw up the relationship of the steering rack pinion to steering column.
The blocks can probably be removed but the steering rack mounts are also different. The later unit mounts the rack at a slight transverse angle. This will cause a little trouble in aligning the pinion with the column. You can remedy that by changing to the shaft collar type mounts which requires a bit of welding but is otherwise pretty straightforward.
Jim
Thanks guys. I have looked at the rack mounts and have wondered if a CB crossmember would work. I am not afraid of the work, just wondered if it was possible. I brought this up on another forum and only got one logical answer, everyone else thought I fell up a tree asking. I am glad to be on a Forum where everyone is conversion oriented.
Rocky, I didn't see you're other post, I'm assuming it was on the mgexperience. If you haven't seen it, I think this thread (http://www.mgexp.com/phorum/read.php?1,1329892,page=1) from the mgexperience has about the best description of lowering a RB car that I've seen. It covers both the rear and the front, the info on swapping a CB x member starts on page 4 at post #71. If I was lowering a CB this is exactly how I'd do it.
I did originally post on MGE and I have seen many posts by baloonfoot and he is probably the most knowledgable person on the Forum and thinks "outside the box" which is what I like to do. I am not afraid of taking a step of the cliff, I have been doing things I would not have attempted several years ago. It may sound strange but I have got a lot of confidence watching American Hot Rod and seeing how things are done. I am in contact with a guy for a CB crossmember for $10 in the Atlanta area and will cost about $30 to ship. Really want to go 5.0 but economics says no at this time.