RB25 in an S14 - Engine position?

[huafist]

I've searched the forums for an answer to my question, and I find information that dances around it, but doesn't address it directly, leading me to believe this is something I'm either doing wrong or overthinking.
I'm putting a Series 2 RB25 w/5Spd trans in an S14 chassis ; everything has gone smootly so far, but I've found the shifter is about 1 - 1/2" too far forward. I'm using the stock crossmember with a set of UH RB25 mounts. Is this a kit issue? The reason I ask is that the crossmember bolt holes line up with the chassis perfectly.

[OutToWinPAHC]

You mean not perfectly centered or completely in the way?

[huafist]

You mean not perfectly centered or completely in the way?

I mean 1st, 3rd and 5th would cause you to break a radio with your knuckles. It's that far forward. I can see the output shaft of the trans through the hole.

[mixeds14]

That's weird, most kits out there position the shifter in the middle were it should be, u even have to hammer the firewall some on the starter side for clearance.. are u talking about the stock s14 crossmember? Cause I think only the r33 cross member is the one that's bolts up to the s14 and uses the stock rb mounts.. if ur using the stock s14 crossmember u have to get a mount kit or make ir own..

[huafist]

That's weird, most kits out there position the shifter in the middle were it should be, u even have to hammer the firewall some on the starter side for clearance.. are u talking about the stock s14 crossmember? Cause I think only the r33 cross member is the one that's bolts up to the s14 and uses the stock rb mounts.. if ur using the stock s14 crossmember u have to get a mount kit or make ir own..

Stock Crossmember, UH swap mounts.

Is it possible they're for an S13 chassis? We got the mount kit with the RB25, but the guy never said which model chassis they were for - is there any way to tell?

[mixeds14]

Wait UH mounts? Only ones I heard on this site are syko and mckenney. Maybe the egay copy ones... Theres differences in the s13 and s14 though. Can u post pics of the mounts..

[huafist]

UH - Unstable Hybrid. I'll go down and try to get some pics. May be hard with everything in the way, though.

[huafist]

As promised.

Left hand side (from top):



Right Hand Side (from bottom):



Sorry, I couldn't roll up under the car completely to get a pic of the transmission crossmember.

[Carl H]

holy crap, its been years since i've heard of unstable hybrids...didnt know they were still around.

iirc that kit was really designed for use with a 20 so the shifter position may be a bit out.

[huafist]

holy crap, its been years since i've heard of unstable hybrids...didnt know they were still around.

iirc that kit was really designed for use with a 20 so the shifter position may be a bit out.

I don't think they are ; like I said, we got this mount kit in with the engine/trans. I guess I have some cutting/welding/drilling in my future haha. Thanks for the info Carl.

[mixeds14]

Man I think the s13/s14 are the same afterall. The easiest way to do ur mount are copying the syko mounts. A flat bar with three holes using ur stock auto crossmember n that right there lines ur shifter in the center n ur engine in the position it should be in( at an angle).. start at the transmission though.

And the holes on the flat bar, just trace the holes of the crossmember with and extra set of holes in line n that's it..so u have 3 holes per side instead of two..once u do that. Then u can modified the motor mount u have accordly .

[huafist]

Yeah, I'm going to pull the trans crossmember tomorrow after I measure how far back I want the shifter to sit, make the mods I need to it, then start on the engine mounts. I think I'm going to work on modifying the mount kit that I have to make things a little simpler haha. I'll be sure to update this thread with pics and explanation of what I did when I'm done.

[Carl H]

you can always heat and bend the shifter to make it work.

[huafist]

True, but I think I'd rather have it in the "correct" position from the get-go to avoid any unseen future issues. Besides, getting some more space between the accessories and the radiator can only be a good thing. It's very very close as it sits.

[huafist]

Just a quick update:
I moved the mounting holes 1" on all of the mounts (this meant welding some more material on the trans crossmember, but it wasn't a big deal), and now the shifter is in the center of the hole. On to other things now haha.

[huafist]

Here are a couple of pictures of the shifter location after modifying the mounts:





So to recap, I had to redrill the motor mounts 1" back from where the original holes were, and weld shut holes and weld extensions onto the trans crossmember, then redrill it with the holes 1" back from the original position. This put the shifter into the position shown above.