Hello folks,

I just picked up a 1978 Bronco with a bad tranni. A u-joint on the front drive shaft broke, and the drive shaft knocked a hole in the transmission. I have a parts truck that I can pull the trans out of to replace the broken one. While removing the bad trans I came across the problem of removing the No. 2 crossmember that supports the trans and connects to the framerails. The books says to remove the 8 bolts holding it on, but that is easier said than done. The bolts on the top of the frame rail are too close to the body to remove, and I cannot get a saw-za or a torch in there to cut them. If I remove the trailing arm brackets the crossmember should be able to be removed, but I do not want my messed up anything in the front end when I remove the trailing arm brackets. Should I lift the truck then remove the brackets? Any ideas guys? Thank you for you time and knowledge.

 

Remove weight from anything that has weight on it before removing it. The bolts on the top can be held with a goodopen-end wrench (or vise grips).