Which crossmember?

[84GP455]

Well 90% of the people on here don't race their cars Shotgun and don't need their car to be on a strict diet. And i am sure that 229MonteHO is not going to be racing his 81 Century with the 265 motor any time soon. I personally like the heaviness of the Gforce crossmember, after all it does support your transmission and will also strengthen the frame out. As far as weight goes,,, it's really not that heavy,,,the transmission is though and it rests on it!!! I just don't like the look of the iceman one,,,it looks weak!

 

[shotgun]

True, I am very weight concious on both my race AND street cars.

There are a few places where "good" weight can be added, this is not one of them.

If anything losing weight on a slug like the 265 should be MORE of a concern.

From a money standpoint the price of the G is 1.5 times the Iceman,shipping would be 3+ times more to boot (based on weight).

I even question wiether it is stronger ( G Force).

Moly is stronger then mild steel.

Tubular is stronger then boxed.

If it did not have those 2 big chunks cut out the bar it would be strong, but those 2 arches are the weak point.

Others have put 750+ hp motors in front of trans supported by this ( iceman) x-member with no issues.

I will "only" be hitting it with 625hp and 600 Ft # of torque.

If for one moment I thought it would not be strong enough, I would not use it.

Wieghs less, cost less,is as strong or stronger.

Win, win, win.

 

[v8power]

True, I am very weight concious on both my street and race cars.

There are a few places where "good" weight can be added, this is not one of them.

If anything losing weight on a slug like the 265 should be MORE of a concern.

From a money standpoint the price of the G is 1.5 times the Iceman,shipping would be 3+ times more to boot (based on weight).

I even question wether it is stronger.

Moly is stronger then mild steel.

Tubular is stronger then boxed.

If it did not have those 2 big chunks cut out the bar it would be strong, but those 2 arches are the weak point.

Others have put 750+ hp motors in front of trans supported by this ( iceman) x-member with no issues.

I will "only" be hitting it with 625hp and 600 Ft # of torque.

If for one moment I thought it would not be strong enough, I would not use it.

Wieghs less, cost less,is as strong or stronger.

Win, win, win.

just because it is bulky and heavier, does not make it stronger, i have worked on big block impalas running in the 10s with a tubular moly x member.

 

[229MonteHO]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

Just to make a point, I'm well aware the 265 isn't gonna pull the fronts off the ground. I'm just trying to make the engine a little more efficient, and get a few extra ponies along the way. My reason for doing it is I don't feel like routing the exhaust around the factory crossmember, been there and done that one too many times.

I've thought of doing the 2.25 or 2.5 single exhaust off of the downpipe, but I dont like the factory manifold setup on the later BOP engines (left manifold into right manifold). And on my motor the cross pipe looks SMALL, maybe 1.5 or 1.75 inches, which looks to me to be a bit restrictive.

Both crossmembers look like they would be sufficient for my purpose, although I like the Iceman unit. Just out of curiousity, does anybody know how much the factory unit weighs in at?

Thanks again,
Aaron

 

[shotgun]

Stock Pontiac (non 265/301) exhaust manifolds will bolt right up.

Use a standard gasket for no leaks.

I have done it.

The stock manifolds are an upgrade to the 265/301 pieces. From there run small pipes ( 2 or 2 1/4) for dauls or like I did a single 2 1/2 mandrel bent piece,dynomax muffler and 2 1/2 tail.

I will look around to see if I have a stock unit to weigh.

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

how much does the iceman weigh?

 

[dlc1979]

how much does the iceman weigh?

I believe the claimed weight is 8 lbs. Check the website to be sure.

 

[shotgun]

Just to update, my "soldered coat hanger" is doing fine.

Handled a trans brake hit 1.46 60 foot, 10.27 130 mph run.


**Updated** , leaving wheels up has gone 10-oh@131 mph with 1.44 60 foot , coat hanger is fine.