Transmission Mounting - 

	Here is my transmission mounting bracket. The bracket is a 3/8" thick piece of steel drilled to take two industrial vibration isolators. I ordered the isolators from a place called DrillSpot.com. I placed the order at around 10 p.m. one night, and got them 6 p.m. the next day, on standard shipping from halfway across the county. I was impressed!
	The bracket mounts to two existing 10mm threaded holes on the tail housing. This combination puts the transmission output shaft at the same height as stock (if I measured correctly). Note that both this mounting plate and the gear shift mounting cover have to be removed for the transmission to easily slip in between the x-member and the transmission tunnel brace.
	Here is the PDF template for the bracket. You could totally make it out of aluminum, if you want. If I were to make it again, I would certainly do so. Drilling 3/4" holes in 3/8" steel takes a while, at 1/16" increments, even with a decent drill press.
	The two outer holes in the bracket, with the bushings, take two very long 5/16" grade 8 bolts that go through holes in the top and bottom bracing plates of the x-member. Drilling these holes was not fun, but is completely doable without removing the body. Here are the holes seen from above, through the shifter hole in the cabin.
	I needed 18" of clearance to fit my drill, and I availed myself of my 2-ton hoist to achieve it. Basically, I hoisted the car until the tailpipe (which is cut on an angle) kissed the ground. I trust my hoist, but laying under there still scared the crap out of me.
	The drill was mounted to a right-angle jig (the black posts in the picture), which was itself mounted to a positioning plate that I made. The positioning plate is then mounted to the stock transmission mount support. This ensures that the holes I drill will be straight up-and-down and follow the centerline of the car -- at least as much as the stock transmission did.
	Two six-inch-long 3/8" bolts hold the transmission mounting plate down to the x-member. For reasons both aesthetic and practical, the bolts go up from below, so I added a cotter pin so they couldn't fall out completely if the nut loosens up. The really big washer comes with the isolator and serves to hold everything in place even if the rubber fails.
	Here is a view of the transmission bolted into place. It's hard to get a decent shot under there.
	This is a close-up of the same. I'm hoping that the 1/8" below the two silver bolt heads will be enough. I think it should be. If not, I'll remove the thick lock washers and use liquid thread locker.
	That's it. The shifter comes out of the stock hole in the transmission tunnel centered front-to-back and side-to-side. The threaded end needs to be turned down and re-threaded to 5/16" - 18tpi for any standard early-Roadster shift knobs to fit. There are plenty of aftermarket knobs for the Miata, though, if you want.