mounting a SBC...what angle?

I have read that the carb face should be level which would put the rest of the engine at a 3-5 degree angle.

Right now my carb mounting face is setting at one degree meaning it is leaning too far back. I have the frame level left to right front to back.

The engine is just a empty block with an intake on it. There is no front body or cab either. Just the frame.

I am thinking at one degree I should be fine as the full engine will bring the front down a little more and account for that one degree. Is that correct or should I level it up as is?

 

Is the trans behind it and bolted to a crossmember? Or are you just mocking the motor up? I would level the motor as you want it to sit. Don't ***ume that putting accesories on will change the angle of the motor.

 

yeah the trans is in the back of it. That is how I am able to move the angle around.

The front has a camaro clip and I am using the camaro clip motor mounts in the front. In the rear I have a tube ****** crossmember that is not installed yet.

I am going to go out and flip the mounts around some on the ****** crossmember and see how close I can get the carb face to level.

 

To me it looks "right" when the carb flange is parallel to the main part of the frame, so the engine is about 4 degrees nose up relative to the frame.

 

is 1 degree really going to make any difference

 

The ch***is will most likely have a couple degrees of forward rake in it at ride height. So if you are a a little low in the back the ch***is rake brings the back end up.
Have fun, Smokey

 

The motor doesn't know the difference between a few degrees. The rear pinion angle should be within a couple degrees of the crankshaft/trans shaft angle at ride height though.
I like to mock things up at ride height. If for no other reason to just get my head into the placement of things. Like Squirrel said about lookin' "right".
With ground clearance being very important (oil pan, blowproof flange,exhaust past bell housing in a narrow ch***is,etc)
To me there are a lot of cars built with the frame level and most things parallel to it that look a little off when they have a lot of rake in them when on the ground. The motor leans front, the ladder bars look low in the front etc. Smokey

 

thanks for all the replies! I have the crossmember mounted.

 

1 or 2 degrees doesn't make a big deal in my world

 

try to keep everything parallel to the frame. A carb doesn't know degrees. If it did, it would run ****ty up and down hills, driveways, etc. Important to keep drive line parallel.

 

REAR sump.... ? i always here folks mention carb level .. but really they designed the engine to tilt back for OIL .. drain back ...

 

I'm going with everyone else and saying a couple degrees at the carb is not going to change much, and if it did have an effect you would most likely be able to correct it by adjusting the float level. Do pay attention to your pinion angle though, and if you're running leafs in the rear it's sometimes a good idea to set the pinion angle nose down about a degree compared to the angle of the crank because with leafs the rear end will roll back ever so slightly as the leafs "wrap" up, so it my be a little off in the driveway but good going down the road.