Transmission mount.... Flippin' frustrating

Swapping' transmissions in my Buick. Done a few, and always ended up trimming bolts to get the mount bolted back into the cross member. There has got to be an easier way. I can't even get a wrench on the driver side trans. mount bolt. Almost ready to hole saw the cross member. Argh.

I've tried bolting the mount in first, then sliding in the cross member....

Any suggestions?

The replacement trans mounts are about 3/4 of an inch taller than the original ones. I do not know how to get one that is the correct height. I took the shims out from under the mount, and it was still a little tall. I also removed the bracket for the tailpipe from under the trans mount. The trans was against the tunnel, and I barely got it in. The guy who rebuilt my 91's trans used one that is bolted from the bottom instead of having studs in it. I think I have seen them at the local Autozone in their specialty isle. I can stop by and ask him what part he used. Even with the one he used, the shims are still out. You should measure the original one, and then the replacement. It may take a little experimenting to find the correct height.

It's done... I trimmed the mounting stud with a porta band, and the mount slid back in while beating the cross member back into place. Oy. Seems silly that you can't replace the mount without removing the cross member on the LT1 cars. Are the tbi cross members similar?

The TBI crossmembers are tubular, and are much lighter. They should have made them with a hump on the driver's for dual exhausts.