OK I've had my 40 chevy on the road for a couple of months with a 305 small block I had sitting around. It's a little tired and was thinking I've got a real good 455 Buick thats stock with the 400 trans. My concerns are can the top hat frame handle this as a cruiser, occasionally stomping on it. The rear end is out of a S10 with 3.54 gears. All the cruse's we attend are within 30 miles so I,m not worried about gas mileage.
I'd worry more about the S10 rear than the frame. I had a 40 Master coupe that I swapped a 394 Olds into many moons ago and the frame is actually pretty good as is. I also had a 455 Buick out of a Wildcat one time and as I recall they have a goofy oil pump/filter arrangement on the side of the block that might cause you some interferance issues. Since this is not probably a swap a lot of people have done you will pretty much be on your own, I would suspect. Just drop the motor and trans down into the frame and see what is in the way and what fits. Is yours the straight axle front or the coil spung front? I'm going back 40 years to when I owned mine, but didn't Chevy offer both in 1940? Don
Hi it has the knee action coil front end with up dated disk brakes. Was thinking stronger axles and one of those covers with the stress bolt,should handle the HP but not sure of the toque
S10 rears will take some degree of abuse, but generally in a lighter car. If you start putting some torque to it with a car that weighs what that 40 does it may not take the strain. But you can run it until it does finally give up, then swap in something stronger. I've abused one myself, and it held up fine, but that car only weighed about 1700 pounds. Don
Got the car striped down to 2700 lbs looks like a salt flats racer.I take it to the cruses and everyone asks what is it I just call it a bomber.
That's lighter than my stroker powered S-10. Never a rear end issue for me, you should be fine as well, especially at that light weight!!
Heading out this weekend to get the 455 out of storage gonna use a turbo 350 behind it.Anyone ever Fabe up motor mounts to work on a top hat frame need some pics or do's anyone make a set on the aftermarket.Thanks
the s 10 rear will live if its a street driver the 7 and 5/8 ring gear is pretty strong if your thinking about drag racing with slicks I would upgrade to a 9 inch
You might think about your narrow 1 3/4 rear springs. If there not to wore out you would be ok, but if they are wore thin from rubbing together they even get weaker.
Years ago, Ch***is engineering used to offer motor mounts "ala cart". You'd order the engine side for the engine you had, then the frame side for the frame you had, and all used a common ford biscuit mount. I don't know if they still do that sort of thing, (my last catalog from them is dated '81! Oops!) but that is where I would start.
Don't plan on drag racing it other than doing a p*** ot two or three with it at the billet here in Lake land this fall. I am worried about the S10 rear end but it has to do for now.The springs are brand new as are the shackles and bushings there from chaise engineering.was thinking of putting on drag bars to help stop any wheel hop with the big block. Also chaise engineering would build mounts for me custom order if I send them specs. I wasn't wanting to reinvent the wheel thats why I had asked if someone out there has gone through this or close to it, to get there take on it and maybe use there specs for the mounts.
just use skinny tires that you can replace fairly often...fat tires with sticky rubber will roast your diff in a hurry....keep it light in the rear...if you have the "knee action" front suspension, I ***ume that you are using the stock steering column as well...there might be some interference issues with the steering box and column when trying to squeeze in a big 455....either way, you'll be the first to know....if it does fit between the rails,just use a bit of steel plate to re-inforce the area arount the engine mounts and you should be fine...I'm having a grand time fitting a 400 small block chevy into a 1948 chrysler using the stock steering and suspension...I know exactly what you are going through....my engine is offset to the p***enger side by 1 1/2inches just to clear the steering box...it is working out perfectly with no issues....
the weak link in a 10 bolt is the C clips that hold the axels in eliminator kits arent that expensive
put a 455 Buick/turbo 400 in a buddys '48 Chev 2DR in the late 80s...used a Nova rearend All was an easy install...built our own mounts using the stock Buick mounts If I remember right we used a remote filter as the oil filter was hanging out of the front and interfering with a crossmember. He put many miles on that thing with no problems..
Things are moving along well. Using the chaise engineering mounts looks like the rad has to move ahead 2 1/2 inch's and another set of home made headers to get around the steering wheel shaft. Got a transmission question though I have a 92 700R4 out of a big Olds. What kind of problems might I get into for wanting the overdrive.
You won't need a BOP adapter if you simply use a 200R4 with the dual bolt pattern. Also, you may need to build up the 200R4 for the HP of the 455.
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