Hey i was starting an ls swap into my 88 crx si and before i got the motor into the bay i noticed a piece in my crossmember was ripped (below the motor mount) so that kind of put a hold on the swap, Im just wanting to know what this piece is called so i know what to look for and what would have been done for this to happen i bought the car as a shell. also what is the best way to put the motor in? from the bottom or the top of the car its a tight fit and i still need to beat in the frame rail. Thanks in advance for any help.
JOE.

 

I would go top. I would also have somone weld the crossmember back up or replace it.

 

I can't remember the name off the top of my head, but I think that is the core support.

I would say dropping the motor in would be easier from the top. I put mine in this way, but then again I had my engine hanging from the ceiling of my garage. I had to tilt the transmission and the motor with the left side down, then had to use a floor jack to hold the tranny up so I could get the right side to come down. Yes, it was a tight fit, so I had to adjust the floor jack a few times to get it right.

This is a pic when I had it hanging from the ceiling before putting the tranny on.

 

It was done at the factory from the bottom. So do it the right way!

It is possible to do it from the top with the header, radiator, and transmission removed. So why would you bother.

 

ripped part is the rear crossmember. just have the crack welded up, easy. and ive done many swaps by dropping the motor in from the top with a cherry picker and a load leveler to angle the trans end down.

 

The manufacturer has the equipment to build the chassis around the motor if they wanted....with that said, I would to state that for most individuals, it would be easier with a hoist dropping it in from above.

Rear crossmember, if you can't find a new one local to you then if we can arrange I can sell you my spare.....or u could weld it.............

 

thanks for the help yeah id like to get a new crossmember over welding a broken one but if i cant find one for a decent price then i guess ill weld the old, and i also have a crappy hoist which makes it difficult to get any angle to drop the motor in, it looks like i have to drop it in the bay to the ground and then pull it back up to line the mounts but i just wanted to get a good idea to where the alt was gona hit, but thanks again