I am getting ready to put in a Pete and Jakes dropped front crossmember on my 32 5 window. A friend of mine who owns a hot rod shop came by and gave me some advice on installing the crossmember. He recommended that the crossmember not be welded flush against the top of the inner frame channel but drop it down about a quarter inch so there would be no problem aligning the hood with the body. It makes sense but if I drop the crossmember down its just floating in air. Any advice is welcome.
Fender sits on top of frame rail. Hood hold downs sit on top of fender.Hood panel doesnt touch the top of fender.There is clearance between them.As long as you weld as it appears in the picture fenders should cover fit fine.By lowering the crossmember you lower the radiator,and grill shell.Your hood could end up running down hill at the front. If in doubt..tack it in,and test fit the sheet metal to be sure you get what you want.
Your friend gave you good advice. On an original 32 crossmember the radiator mounting pad sits lower that the pad on the repro crossmember , the repro can cause the radiator to sit to high . Space the crossmember down from the top of the frame with a piece of steel the correct thickness to match an original crossmember. Too low is better than to high on the mounting pads . You can always shim the radiator up .
Stock the radiator mounts go under the bottom of the frame flange. If the crossmember is flush, the mounts may need to be trimmed and also the radiator may sit too high to align the hood.
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