Here are the issues I have with the 235 into my car. First, and expected, the water pump intrudes into where the radiator area, but its more than I was expecting. Not only cant I fit a fan, but the the radiator wont even fit in the car because it hits the pump! The pump sticks into the radiator area about 3/4''. Only way I see possible is the move the radiator infront of the rad support and notch the metalwork there. Next problem is the transmission. The crossmember is only about 4'' from the end of the bellhousing, where my Saginaw 3spd's low area in the case is 11'' long. Way I see to fix this is to make a new crossmember farther back, and notch the current one, since it isnt movable. Am I missing an easier solution, or am I on the right track here?
I assume you are putting a later model "full pressure" 235 in you car. I'm betting you need to get a modified (shorter) water pump. Call Patricks Antiques in AZ. They can help Todd
Ive flipped the radiator on a few Tri-5's and it wasnt that difficult. Is it that much harder on a 49?
I Don't know what to tell you about your trans problem But the water pump is an easy fix. Remove the pump & pulley, Put the pump in a press & press the hub further down the shaft so you can use a shallower V8 chevy pulley. Then just cut the protruding end of the shaft off. Just remember to press the hub a little at a time, till the grooves in the v8 pulley line up with the crank pulley. Billy
as for your crossmember woes, I would cut out the offending area and put in a bolt in tube. i was able to modify mine with a grinder and a piece of angle. but mine is removeable, geocities.com/david_fruits/image/dcp_1549.jpg or use a bellhousing trans mount?
They also made a short pump and pulley on the earlier 6. I'm using one in my truck. No fan though, using electric two from pick n pull.( one pulling, one pushing) AL
Do as shoebox says ... take the plate off the back of the pump and support only the shaft when pressing, otherwise the impeller will rub the housing. Used to use 144-170 Falcon/Comet pump pulley when they were common. I would figure out the pulley first, then make sure the fan won't smack the harmonic balancer. On the rear mount, unbolt the factory part, then make a 3/8" steel plate support from the crossmember to the trans mount. A '52 Bel Air we did last summer has lots of room to pull the Saginaw without disturbing anything else. Think twice before you cut that crossmember ... 302
Make sure you got the room to move the radiator foward. The hood line on these are a lot different than Tri-5's. They start to cut down real quick, so you might have to drop the radiator down a little. Does the case of the tranny hit the crossmember? If you were to notch it, how much would be left? If it were me, I'd probably make a new crossmember and hack out the old one.
Well, when I say I'm going to notch the crossmember, Im going to cut an 8'' wide section out, and then using tubing to make a c-notch to clear the deep part of the transmission. Then farther back I was either going to make a seperate crossmember for the mount, or extend one off the back of the existing crossmember. I dont want ot remove the existing one, as it seems to be a main support for the frame, more like a K-frame than a crossmember.
They make new water pump pulleys that are 'short'. Get a hold of Jim Carters, they have them. Press the pulley bolt flange back towards the pump until the grooves line up. Be sure to support the bearing. You should be able to use the stock fan with this set up. As far as the tranny mount goes, just make your own, it's not that hard. You're doing good so far. r
Go here, http://www.inliners.org/ And look under tech tips on the left. Under the engine swap section they describe how to swap out earlier inlines for later ones, you may need to swap your motor mount from the old 6 to the new one....
The motor itself is in perfectly, I drilled the holes in the front mounts, and all the mounts line up. But, people had told me that the bellhousing mounts would support the weight of the motor, they DONT. They stretched almost 4'' as soon as the slightest weight was put on them. Its clear these are not designed for any actually verticle support, but only to keep the engine from rotating under load. I definently need the tailhousing mount to support the weight of the engine and transmission.
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