I am back to work (finally) on my project. 53 Studebaker Starlight Coupe with a 59 Buick 364 Nailhead I am installing. I have bought a 66 SP 400 transmission and have the bushing/flywheel/starter adapter/etc. to make that all work. I do not have the engine/transmission mounted permanent yet and am starting on that this week. Headers are out of the question because of budget (they would have to be custom made) and zero clearance. The stock Buick left side manifold fits the right side with plenty of room, so I have located another left that I can buy. The stock right one is just huge and won't fit. The stock left manifold on the left side hits the steering box. I know some engines are offset from the factory, but thought I would ask some advice from the folks here that know way more than me. I only have to shift the engine maybe 1/4" + to give me plenty of room for engine flex. I would leave the transmission centered or should I move that over also? Any advice appreciated as usual. Thanks.
A 1/4 " IMO is not a big deal weight wise and could be compensated for . Id move the trans over to but it's not a huge deal . Especially with a full finder big car with nothing sticking through the hood . the difference in balance is likely less than if a passenger is in the car or not Look at some of the old F1 cars the engine is offset and crooked to get the drive line were it needed to go. I had a 65 kaiser jeep m7if and i had the engone over almost 2" to get the frnt drive line to clear the engine / transmission no big deal on somenting that big . can the box be moved slighty ? cool car .
I agree Id still slot the trans mount holes or what ever can be done then the fan is square to the radiator as well . Drive line can be at a angle
The universal joints will make it work properly. Move the tranny with the motor as said above. 1/4 inch is not much.
My friend has a 70-71 barracuda with a 426 hemi and auto trans (a clone, not the real deal). The very first time he showed me under the hood, I noticed immediately the engine was offset to fit in the required space. I could NOT tell u the amount of offset, but it was very noticeable when peering under the hood.He drives it quite often and has never mentioned any problems because of the offset.
lots of cars are offset from the factory, Chryslers have it moved over an inch or so....pretty noticeable. Gives more room for the steering gear, as well as more foot room for the driver.
engines offset are common . up to a few inches nobody will ever know just keep it parallel to your centerline as in offset equally motor and trans in a strait line fabricator john miss you dad
Move it over but go more than the 1/4" you mentioned. Clearance to the steering gear is one thing, but you also have to consider heat transfer. Be on the safe side and go 1" or more and keep the engine/transmission centerlines parallel.
My toro type conversion in my V8 Corvair has the engine over to the right side of the car. It becomes very noticeable when you look at the frame rails on each side
I remember the story my dad told me about his friend putting a V8 of some sorts in a AD truck ( if I recall it right) there was exhaust and steering box interference, my dad said “move the engine over” fella said “truck won’t be balanced “ my dad told him it will be when you’re driving it.
In the 2nd gen era we also love all of them are offset. GM and Ford are ½" to the right, Mopars are almost all ¾" and as said this was for footbox and steering clearance. If ya think about it also balance when occupied. This burned into memory from narrowing rear axles and building tubbed cars. Early stuff was still centered. Did (corrected) a 57 Chevy where someone put the offset in the chassis. Those were centered, was a mess.
I put an alfa motor and 5 speed box in a Thames van years ago. I offset the motor and trans, and also set the diff off to one side. It had a narrowed axle and I just shortened one side more than the other. The motor also was canted to one side too. Everything on it was nudged one way or another to fit it all in. There was nothing in the way it drove that would make you think anything was out of whack. Just keep the engine and trans parallel with the chassis.
I offset the 302 I put in the Lincoln about 1" to the right. Would have went a little more, but that was as far as I could go without changing the trans tunnel. Looking from the front of the engine, if you line up the carb air cleaner stud with the rib on the firewall, you can see how little it is offset.
I can tell you, for sure, a big block Mopar has the engine about 1 1/4" to the right. The starter and the steering box wanted to have the same space. However Mopar rears are offset also. When I put the 426 in my '40 I put the motor in the center of the frame. And the 8 3/4" rear I used is still offset. While I don't drive the car every week. It has made many trips down the drag strip without any problems. Also, the longer the driveshaft, the less chance of issues. Gene.
We don't think twice about the vertical offset between the transmission and pinion centerlines (which is always changing as you drive and the rear suspension moves)...why should we be concerned about the horizontal offset?
Great! That is pretty much unanimous. I will do some more serious measuring and try to get it all mounted. Thanks again everyone!
While moving the engine over is not a big deal (assuming transmission tunnel clearance), Buick made several exhaust manifold configurations. The one pictured in the center is off a 61 LaSabre right side, and when used on the left gives more room as it dumps near the front.
The very first motor/tranny swap I did for money was on a 39 Plymouth sedan. Customer demanded minimum alteration so it could be returned to stock. Well, being young and dumb, I just shoved everything to the PS to clear everything in the way on the DS and solid mounted it. If memory serves it hadda be a good couple inches. Must have drove ok because he showed me a ticket he got that said 115 in a 65 zone. As a side note, this 'must remain stock' car showed up later with a 3-4 inch dropped lid, cut front springs and 2" blocks out back.
I offset the SBC in my Stude an inch, the only problem that I worried about was in the transmission area, in my case (using a 700R4) was my concern for the driveshaft hitting the tunnel. As stated by several others just move the transmission an equal amount. I found that by welding a piece of angle iron to the top of the bat wing (I used a later Hawk frame) it was an easy place to put the transmission mount. (at least in my experience)
Even moving the engine/trans a couple inches isn't a big deal, nor will it affect driveline vibration. Since whatever you moved sideways changes both ends of the driveline angle equally it still cancels it out. Wouldn't matter if you shifted the engine sideway a little, or had the differential offset to one side as so many cars have had for many years. Mopar shifted the big hemi powered cars a full inch to the passenger side at the factory and no issues.
There is a rider to this: You don't want to offset the engine/trans if you have a torque tube type rear. Ford actually did this and set the diff off to one side to keep the rear end square. This was on the E83W commercial models.
With the engine/transmission/pinion shaft all central within the vehicle, pinion angle is only a concern in the vertical plane. When you start offsetting the engine/trans within the vehicle, and the pinion may also be offset, you introduce pinion angle considerations in the horizontal plane as well. You will need to allow for the 'combined total pinion angle' that results from offsets in the two planes (compound angle). Get it between a maximum of 3* and a minimum of 0.5* (matched to within 1 degree) at each u-joint and you will be ok. The closer you can get down to the 0.5 degrees the better.
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