Oxygen sensor hitting floor - is the threaded hole in wrong position???

The exhaust manifolds in the picture are the same kind I used to have on my VP. Note the position of the oxygen sensor - pointing about 45 deg downward and toward the front of the car. What's more, it screws into the actual manifold. Anyhoo, I gave those leaky old horrors the flick and replaced them with cast iron ones. This also needed a new Y-pipe because, among other things, the oxygen sensor now screws into the LHS branch of the Y-pipe instead of the manifold.

Now here's the dumb part. I got under the car today to have a bit of a look-see and it turns out the the oxygen sensor actually screws into the TOP of the Y-pipe so the end of it with the wire coming out pushes up against the floor and transmits noises into the car. Now is this dumb or what?

Are all cast manifold Y-pipes like this or is mine just made wrong???

 

Yep, the new pipe had the threaded hole facing toward the sloping part of the firewall just near where it starts to go horizontal and become the floor. I'll see if I can take a pic sometime. I took it back to the exhaust place today and they plugged up the old hole and made a new one at the side of the pipe. That then allowed them to sit the pipe about 2 inches higher and it finally joins the manifolds properly now. That was the basic reason I took it back (second time now), the rhs manifold joint was leaking.