Over the years on the tech line we have had many customers who do not understand the relationship of the torque converter to the engine and transmission mechanically.  The converter must be in line with the crankshaft and the transmission pump assembly.  These three items must form a line from the front of the crankshaft to tip of the output shaft of the transmission that is perfectly straight like the line bore in your engine.  This means that the bore in the back of the crank, the nose of the converter and the converter transmission pump drive are all precise tolerance items, in order to maintain the accuracy of the imaginary line.  Many people unfortunately think that the bolt holes in the flexplate are used for alignment.  Actually the bolts and matching holes in the flexplate are only for driving the converter and the holes in the flexplate should be at least 1/32” larger than the bolt size.  Tight bolt holes will cause the converter to have excessive run out, which can cause damage to the engine, the transmission or both.

It is for the above reasons that when you have a mid-engine plate that is over 1/8”, you must add to the converter length an equal amount or have an extension on the crankshaft. Do not make up the difference using only washers.  You must also extend the nose of the converter or add an adapter to crankshaft bore.  If in doubt, give us a call.