Long bolt on exhaust bracket ?

[Basho]

The exhaust downpipe retaining bracket just down from the exhaust manifold flange has an extraordinarily long bolt which buts onto the gearbox housing when it's fully tightened , this appears to be an OE item and I'm wondering what purpose it serves.

I've just shortened mine whilst I was renewing my manifold flange gasket as I didn't think it looked kosher , subsequently I've found out it is ---now I'm wondering

Anyone know

[Dweezle]

I think your talking about the exhaust support?
It is just to stop the exhaust swinging about stressing the welds/bolts etc..

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[Basho]

I think your talking about the exhaust support?
It is just to stop the exhaust swinging about stressing the welds/bolts etc.
Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

I've described the brackets location and I can't see how this long bolt would aid in that atall at that point over an ordinary right length bolt , the bracket that is attached to the gearbox is extemely strong and the clamp quite adequate , the bolt itself has an 8mm dia shaft which is somewat puny and the striking the gearbox when tightened as it seems meant to do still puzzles me.

[Basho]

I got the actual OE bolt from Ford , and to answer my own question , the OE bolt doesn't strike the gearbox , the bolt that Mazda put in when they dropped the exhaust to remove the gearbox to change the clutch was the wrong frakin one , which adds to the list of things they did and didn't do wrong when they did the clutch.