MTFCA Forum

I was under my t and the hoghead is not centered in brake loop going under hoghead should it be centered between frame rails thanks for any help

The important thing is the adjustment bolt on the clutch fork shaft is in alignment with the cam on the cross shaft. Over the years frames sag, get bent, cross shaft pillows wear, the cam arm gets bent, so there are things to check to see if the shaft can move laterally. I well remember on T I found having a short length of split water pipe crimped around the cross shaft to keep the cam in line with the clutch adjustment bolt. That frame was bent inwards.

Allan from down under.

I believe the engine/transmission should be centered between the frame rails. The hand brake shaft may be bent, or the frame may be out of line, or the engine pan ears may be bent or welded poorly. If the engine is not centered in the frame, the front and rear axles will be out of alignment to some degree. Does the car have handling quirks? If it does, something is not right.

Terry wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 24, 2026 8:53 pm

I was under my t and the hoghead is not centered in brake loop going under hoghead should it be centered between frame rails thanks for any help

Your description is a but ambiguous. You say the hogs head is not centered in the brake loop & you also question if it should be centered between the frame rails. So some are looking at the brake loop being the issue. So is the engine not centered between the frame rails & the brake loop?
Is the spacing on the engine mounts the same on both sides?

It doesn't matter.

When I got my car, it had no wood blocks/bolts at the rear engine mounts. I bought repros and installed them as Ford directed. The car now tracks slightly better and seems to have a slight reduction in vibration. Note that the side bolts are NOT intended to be pulled up tight. My car does not have the spring arrangement on the passenger side mount as shown above. I think that the spring mount or the passenger side ear may have been a late issue modification intended for TT trucks in severe service on very rough roads. It looks to me like it would result in notches being cut in the upper frame flange at the mounting point due to the mounting ear chafing against the frame. If I used that assembly, I'd want to put a leather insulator between the pan ear and the frame.

I had the same issue when I installed my temporary motor in the 22. I was concerned until I went to bolt the rear end up and everything slid together nice and ran true. When I tore my car apart to look at my frame after the accident, I saw that the right rail was pushed in from the side. I attribute that to the reason my engine seemed to sit sideways.