thanks for the input guys its goin to make it heaps easier, i think i have it all pretty well much figured out now, no dout ill have a few more questions to pick all ur brains with later on down the track, im just waitin for my old man to have a few holidays so we can knock it over, should be worth the wait tho, its been 8 months comin so far, lol

i also hammer out the tunnel to the left and right of the old hole just for a bit more clearance.

i've just put mine in today and what you will need to do to fit the standard box is cut a section out about 100mm back from the old hole and remove the old mounts also this is not nessasary as i didnt do it but it you bash the front section of the tunnel in about 10mm you will get the engine in alot easier

pic of the section i cut out

john13961 shortened my handbrake lever & i just offset the holes on the handbrake itself, We bent a new tunnel covering the existing auto tunnel hole back to cover the shifter on the CA Box, which is just infront of the seat mounts, my box is mounted off the original auto mounts.

for weight distribution, u want the engine as close to the firwall as u can get..
with a standard ca box u will need to move the handbrake and cut the shifter hole about 3-4 inches back from original...

ahh little persuasion, lol nothin happens easily, yeah i was measureing it all up tonite next couple of weeks ill have the crossmember welded up, what did you do with that did you have to move the mounts foward at all? or are they sitting in pretty well much the same spot?

Ca box fits thats what ive got. a bit of persuasion and the tunnel will take it and the hand brake just fits with the gear stick not to far back.

yeah im only about 5'6" so im not that much taller, did you have to cut the old hole back much? im gunna have to get the crossmember all welded up and the engine sitting in there before its obvius as to what i have to do but it look as if its going to sit back a long way compared to the old one thats all, but turining the shifter around is a good idea!

another thing, is to turn the shifter around, i'm only 5'4", and i like the position of the shifter.

in a sedan or coupe, if you are over 5ft10 you sit with the seat back, and its in a good spot. also need to shift the handbrake lever.. Which may be a prob in a Ute.

The r30 stumpy (from L24) comes up the old hole, but it's a weaker box, and needs a swapover of the bellhousing from the ca box or a ca20 5 speed bluebird box.