Posted by Ross On 2015/10/27 19:11:29

Almost, but not quite. Once upon a time the the vertical piece was isolated from the firewall bracket by rubber. That took up the space around the rivets. The movement of the engine was compensated for by the vertical piece being spring steel that would flex.

The only problem with leaving the joint loose is that the vertical portion tends to flop toward the firewall which renders the throttle return spring ineffective for want of leverage. Thus you see many of these cars with extra throttle springs hooked on the linkage near the carb. I usually bolt the pieces together being careful to leave a good gap between the firewall and cross shaft.