I’m happy to report that my getrag 245 is installed and shifting as intended by the engineers who designed it. I did use the Blunttech 5 speed trans kit .  My overall assessment of the kit is that it’s probably the best you can buy.  

1 note of Caution - the transmission tunnel of my 68 is more narrow then the the later models.  The Blunttech kit comes with a nice looking transmission bracket / brace (with mounting tabs-see pic)  for mounting the getrag 245 to the trans tunnel.

Unfortunately for me it was to long. 

So like most red blooded Americans would have done I got out the grinder and went to work.... well let’s just say I was a bit hasty (I got the measurements wrong somewhat) and I ground off a bit too much. Upsetting because this bracket is one of the custom pieces in the kit! 

So I needed a work around.

I contemplated calling blunt and ordering another one but instead  I grabbed my old transmission brace and fitted the L shaped brackets to it. With modifications this ended up being the ultimate solution.  Being a complete chicken I didn’t want to mount the trans in the wrong spot and so for several months I left this issue unresolved and the trans supported by the drive shaft.

Out of the blue I received a phone call from the gentleman who rebuilt my engine.  He was checking in to see if I had turned it over yet... nope. I explained my fears and apprehension of incorrectly mounting my beloved 5 speed in the wrong spot and he invited me to bring the car to his shop for a full review of my handy work.

Elated that I was going to get my engine running, my transmission mounted and to have a veteran 02 owner/ builder/ racer review my novice assembly plans were made and the towtruck was called.

i brought my hacked up Blunttech bracket, the e21 trans brace/bracket, and two stock 2002 braces. As mentioned above we ended up going with the stock 2002 part (modified to fit) and bolted to the trans tunnel.

I did put a larger piece of metal in the car for the bolts to go through. Will weld it in at some point (see pic). This was done to add some strength to the the assembly, as I had read that some folks have had issues simply mounting the bolts to the thin metal trans tunnel. Also the bolts go in through the interior so the nuts can be fastened and unfastened from underneath the car. Tightening these was a two person job but once welded it should be easily done from under the car and without having to rip up the carpet.

i include a pic of the Blunttech bracket and my modified version, a Video of first start- yes the engine turned over on the first crank - unbelievably.  

On on top of all this goodness 98% of my electronics are working. Hazards, reverse lights are on this list of things to get working today. And engine tuning!

Anywho there you have it.