I have a '58 Biscayne with a 350 SBC and Turbo 350. When I bought it it had some Dougs Headers that were originally for a 55-57 car but the they looked like the rubbed against the a-arms. I bought a new set of Hedmans for the '58-64 full-size car. They are not fitting worth a darn. I had to notch the webbing out of the rear of the front crossmember but now that they clear there they are hitting the rear of the motor mounts at the crossmember and the lower a-arms. Looking at the ****** mount it looks like I have at least an inch worth of room to move everything back if the front mounts would let me. I was told that this car was originally a 6 banger with PG. Does anyone out there know if the 6 banger car had a different crossmember and frame mounts to mount the motor mounts to? Any help would be helpful as I would hate to think I wasted $300 on a set of headers.
I think he is right .Im not sure on a 58 but a 60 is different for sure from a I6 to a V8 as far as the engine frame stands go .I know cuz i've done it .I would imagine that all of those 58-64 X-frames would be the same as far as that goes.I used stands from a 62 that was suppose to be a V/8 car .They worked ,but the holes that mount them to the frame didnt line up ,no matter which way you turned them or on which ever side.I ended up bolting them to the upper mount and setting the motor down and welding them in place to the frame...
Thanks guys! That's kind of what I thought but wanted to see if anyone else was in this boat before. Now all I gotta do is find a set. I would imagine someone like Eckler's or Impala Bob's would have 'em or will they be a boneyard special?
Just look in a boneyard first. 58 - 64 V8 brackets shoukld all be the same. I'm using a set of 63's in my 59. Had a set of 64's in my 60. They all bolted up just fine. I did leave the bracket to frame bolts loose until the V8 was installed though. This seemed to help line the engine/trans up in the frame. The brackets are the same for all V8's 283/327/348/409's. There is a left and right however. If I remember right, the V8 brackets are shorter than the straight 6 ones. The rear trans crossmember is the same for all V8's and 6's. It does have a front and rear however and two sets of mounting holes,(in the frame). The mouting holes depend on what trans is used.
Thanks again guys! I found a pair in my Obsolete Chevy Parts catalog for $43/pair. Now comes the fun part, putting them in w/o removing the motor!! I do some of my best work on my back.......LOL
so whats it mounted with now, 6 cyl mounts? im kinda lost as to whats goin on in there. crossmembers the same for v8 or i6, right. just diff mounts?
that's what i'm guessing because it had a six in it before and probably didn't get changed over when the v8 got put in.
I put the pictures up so you could look at the mounts you have, and see if they're 6 or 8 before you buy...
Those x-frame chevys were notorious for the front crossmember to sag in the middle after lots of miles.We used to spread those crosmembers on the frame machine to get camber adjustment and to align the engine mounts.The sagged crossmember drops the engine down,and will make the headers close to the upper control arms.
They have plenty of room around the upper arms, they are hitting the rear of the crossmember and the rear of the lower arms. Hey Squirrel, any idea about how tall the 6 and V8 frame mounts are?
Thanks guys, the ones I have are 6 bangers (about 4" tall). Found a set locally for $20 and a 12 pack!
Got ready to put in the V8 mounts last night and discovered that maybe someone had cut a rather large (3" wide x 2" deep) notch right where the upper rear hole on the drivers side frame mount would bolt up. The frame mount was cut at that point and welded to the edge of the notch and the other 3 bolts were used as designed. The notch had a plate welded in it for strength and looks to be well done. Anyone have any ideas??
You could make a plate that would be big enough to catch all 4 bolts on the bracket, and sandwitch it between the bracket and frame. make it about 3/16" thick steel. Not the best way to solve the problem, but it should work ok. Best would be to repair the frame back to original, but that's a bunch of work.
That's what I thought too. I'm probably just going to cut the corner of the frame mount like the one I pulled out, use 3 bolts and run a small weld on the 4th corner. Should be strong enough. I'm only running about 350HP.
Okay Ladies and Germs, I have the motor in place, but the fuel pump is sitting right on top of the crossmember with just about zero clearance. The bottom of the pump housing looks a little on the large side. Anyone have any ideas or part numbers for a smaller stock-type fuel pump? Was the '58-'64 pump smaller than later years? I really don't want to go electric if I don't have to. I would think that putting a SBC in a car that could be equipped with one would be such a PITA!!
The early pumps were quite a bit smaller than the later model pumps. The hoses came out the sides too instead of the bottom, iirc
Went to local "old-timer" parts house to try to pick one up and he told me that the pump would not fit because it was an original 6 banger car and that the crossmember was different than the V8 unit and that just changing to the V8 frame mounts would make the stock fuel pump not fit. I'm not sure I buy that. I think he just wanted to sell me an electric pump set-up. Anyone have a brand and/or part number of a pump that fits?
Gm did not make a different frame for a 6 Cyl engine. they made on frame for the 6 and the V8 both 283 and 348 for 1958.
That's kinda what I thought. A fuel pump designed for the '58 283 should fit no problem. I think the guy was just trying to sell me the electric FP set-up. I would imagine any of the X-frame pumps would work, right?
any 350 manual pump will work. just check it before you leave the store and make sure its not one of the big *** ones. i think mine was a mid 70s camaro pump?
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