The bolted in crosmember fits up just as the trunk floor steps up. The crossmember is mostly there to hold my master cylinder up as high as possible under the floor step-up. The master is accessed through an access door I made in the trunk floor. There is also another access door on the passenger side, because my battery fits on that side. And yes those are actual aluminum connecting rods with rubber bushings in the upper holes. If you'd like to see my complete build so far, I can send you a link to my Flickr picture album, just send me your regular email address to send it to. Bob