z the frame

You may have to modify the crossmember that goes under the oil pan. The pan is about 3/4" from it and if you drop the motor 1" that doesnt work. You can unbolt it and cut out about 3/8 to 1/2" and plate it and be fine.

Fucka toyota

so seth, your motor is droped 1.25''... did you section your oil pan and notch your x member? how did you do it?

On my yota i Z'ed my frame an inch and dropped the motor 3/4 of an inch to keep it under the hood. My bodydrop was 2.5 inches to the rocker with the pinch folded over. I cut the motor mounts off the frame and dropped it that way.

Originally posted by TwistedMinis



Even if you stock floor it, the engine crossmember is still there and all this still applies to you.

yes and no. When I did my mazda it still had the factory control arm crossmember that hung below the frame, like the toyotas do. I didnt want to have the ghetto lean (front higher than back when laid out) so before I cut the frame off at the firewall I spaced up the rails under the cab to be level with the bottom of the front crossmember. So when I laid out the new rails, they were the 1/2 inch lower.

You can do this too. Seth is right, you still need to be aware that the front crossmember hangs lower than the frame, but if you make your new rails even with the front crtossmember you will have z'd your frame unintentionally and without any extra steps.

This helps on toyotas too because the factory frame is only something like 5 inches tall (maybe even a bit less, been a while since I had a toyota) and using new 2x3 rails set to be even with the bottom of the factory rails under the cab, you are limited to a 2 inch sfbd. But if you treat the extra inch the front crossmember hangs down as part of the frame, the factory rails are 6 inches tall (5 inches of metal, one inch of air underneath) and you can drop your bodymounts almost THREE inches instead of two.

I digress. yes, you still have to z it when you sfbd, BUT, usually it takes care of itself without an extra step. Remember that the motor and trans still move up an inch doing it this way, you will need to move the trans tunnel.

i dont want to high jack the tread but im body droping my truck to the doors, im going to do a 2'' sfbd and the rest will be a trad bd. i was thinking aobut raising my front x-member like they did in last months mini truckin, because it wouldnt move my motor up, and when im going all the way to the doors i dont have alot of hood space to work with. or should i leave the front x member alone and z the frame when i do the sfbd, and then lower the motor? what do you guys think.

Russ my frame is 4 1/8" tall.

Yes, my motor is essentially dropped 1.25" and I made a new front crossmember out of 1/4" plate. Thats the only way I could even run a crossmember. My motor was lower before but I lifted it up 1/4" and lowered my aircleaner box 1/4" so that I could run a crossmember.

Personally, if you're going to stockfloor the truck I would just Z the frame and put dropped mounts in. It would be a lot less work to keep the motor low than sectioning everything. Since you're building a new frame anyway you know. The less work the better.

You can fit your motor under the stock hood doored. Its been done before. I just sent Josh (RailItCustoms) a 20R valve cover for his motor because the front is sloped and lower than the blocky 22R valve covers. His truck is doored with 1.5" dropped mounts, and a dropped intake plenum.

so i can buy 1.5'' motor drop mounts from you, notch my x member so my oil pan does not hit it, and z my frame with the sfbd and be ok on hood clearence? i have a 22RE, will a 20R vavle cover work on my motor? and how did you drop the intake plenum? do you have pics of how you did it?

Originally posted by TwistedMinis



Mine is traditional. Even if you stock floor it, the engine crossmember is still there and all this still applies to you.

Bodydropping on 18s versus 20s isnt going to be that much of a difference. Just don't fold the pinch or your tires will stick out past the hood.



lets hope not, seth! im trying to prove you wrong on this one...

Originally posted by skip1100



so i can buy 1.5'' motor drop mounts from you, notch my x member so my oil pan does not hit it, and z my frame with the sfbd and be ok on hood clearence? i have a 22RE, will a 20R vavle cover work on my motor? and how did you drop the intake plenum? do you have pics of how you did it?

You will also have to section the oil pan. I did not drop the intake plenum, so I do not have pictures. Josh had someone local do that. Its essentially lower the EFI part of the motor, which is the highest part. If you get this down lower or even with the valve cover it should be below the hood.

And the 20R cover will fit your head, I have one left that I'm not using.

I can't say for sure that doing all of that will get you a stock hood on the doors, but it should be close. We'll see when Josh gets the valve cover on if it still touches his hood.