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Evening All, I have something of an odd situation with my front subframe.... hoping that you can shed some light on this for me please?

My '65 SDL with wet suspension seems to have a slightly different front subframe to another wet front subframe I've come across.

Mine doesn't have the need for spacers that sit on the top of the towers (between subframe and cross member) but an otherwise identical appearing subframe (wet) does need them?

Looking through the factory parts manual it seems the spacers were a VIN dependent fitting, mine falls outside the range so aren't on my car.

Are the two subframes interchangeable? I can't imagine that the dimensions of the shell changed, more that the towers are different heights?

TIA

As far as I am aware, all the wet frames had no spacers and all the dry did. Of the subframes I've measured, the wet ones have taller, by 1/4", towers than dry. Sounds like someone may have put wet parts in to a dry frame.

Thanks Spider, I guess the overall dimensions of a wet without spacers and dry with spacers are the same and therefore interchangeable? A long winded way to say, the shells are identical in basic dimensions of course whether wet or dry?

My 65/66 SDL wet subframe doesn't have any spacers or rubber gaskets on the tower. Never were fitted on wet subframes as far as I know.

Thanks Whistler, I've found that the tower bolts also appear to be a different length which fits with the spacer/no spacer theory. Appreciate the replies Gents!

BucksMk1 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 26, 2023 7:36 pm Thanks Spider, I guess the overall dimensions of a wet without spacers and dry with spacers are the same and therefore interchangeable? A long winded way to say, the shells are identical in basic dimensions of course whether wet or dry?

Yes. The separate spacer used with the dry frame was to make up the difference in height compared to the wet frames.