Hello, Have question on what height should the engine sit in the frame, using a 327 chevy in a 37 ford frame. should the pins for the trans be centered in the frame rails or does it realy matter the up or down location. I have it set at 3deg down at ride angle, and oil pan rails even with the top of frame rail. thanks curly 37
Whatever fits best in your particular situation. There are a million variables that could change how it will be best for you. You'll need to mock everything up and check clearances. Don't believe anybody who gives you a solid number unless they have seen your exact car with all your components in place.
as long as it clears everthing for steering and exaust. the carb mounting base needs to be level and if its offset to either side for clearance no big deal. post some pic's of your project.
I think like what was said earlier the carb base needs to be pretty level and your pinion angle should be around 2 degrees if you're runnin a four link (or similar) setup but if running leafs should be around 6-7 degrees.
There is only a "correct" height and angle if you are using the original geometry of the car...if you were using original trans and rear on original mount, you would want cranshaft to be in same place as original engine. Otherwise, put it wherever you want! Lower is better for CG, until your oil pan gets ripped off by a manhole cover.
Dont get ahead of yourself .Figure exhaust, steering,bellhousing,radiator ,battery ,motor mounts,clutch,firewall,dampner, and many more clearances that are needed,than install engine as low and as centered over cross member as possible.read a good book on building a hotrod.Save you a lot of trouble.Looked at your personal. You are no rooky,probley know more than most.I still read build books and Ive been through a few hotrods.
I worry more about floor and toe board room when sitting up a SBC in a 35-40 frame. There is damn little room for the gas pedal/big foot. How low can you go?
We just put a 350 SBC in our 51 Chev Bus Coupe; CE engine/frame mounts, and modified a MOPAR rear cross member/trans mount to work with the stock crossmember. Everything fits really well, and there's a lot of room, especially under the engine. After we blocked up the front suspension 2" between the front crossmember (to raise the front end ala "gasser"), and the stock suspension****embly, there's even more room. It "looks" like the engine is sitting high, but the fan is actually a bit lower than with the stock 216 six. We may build a shroud for the fan, if we need to. The engine sits with about 9" clearence back from the steering linkage, and about 7" higher. So, I agree with everyone else on being sure you have enough room, better to have too much that too little, or none. Exhaust is always the biggest headache with these kinds of engine swaps, but we have lots of room there also by using modified 94-96 Caprice cop car exhaust manifolds; they're so close in appearence to the early Ford-Pontiac-MOPAR style of factory cast iron headers, you'd think they are factory headers. Make it fit, so everything clears, and don't worry about how high it is. Unless it looks like something from an early 60's drag car, kind of a Fuel Altered look. Butch/56sedandelivery.
i always build my own motor and trans mounts in 35-40 Fords so i can get the motor exactly where i want them. if you do it right a SBC with a th350 or powerglide will fit with a stock firewall/toeboards/tranny cover...no modifications needed on the motor mounts i make the tube that accepts the horizontal bolt through the rubber mount is about even with the top of the frame rail..that puts the front of the oil pan about 1/2-5/8 above the U-bolts on the front crossmember. the th350/powerglide******* mount is a flat plate that bolts to existing holes in the bottom of the X-member...then the rubber mount on the******* sits on top of it. you should have good firewall clearance for point type distributor and enough room up front for a mechanical fan the stock gas pedal and linkage can be used with some minor modifications...i did a tech on that a while back here is the******* mount i make:
For my dime, I'd try to get it as low as you could and still keep the pan from being the lowest point on the chassis. Place the engine where you want it, and work the rest around it. The engine is the single largest mass in the car, so whatever height you put it at will directly influence the center of gravity height, which directly affects roll stiffness required of the suspension to combat body roll. The height you mount the motor will directly affect the amount of body roll your car will see with a given front spring rate. The higher you mount it, the more roll you will get. Now, for a drag car or street cruiser, that may make zero practical difference as far as handling goes, but if you intend to push the thing in the corners, you'll definitely notice the lower CG height.
sorry for breathing life into an old thread but the question of height interests me. I can understand the drawbacks to going too tall in a handling situation, Im doing more of a nostalgia drag car look with a blown injected hemi, and am pondering how high to mount it. The car is a 29 Dodge coupe, right now the block is resting on 2x4s on top the frame, body is channeled so I know going too high will affect interior room as far as the tunnel is concerned. Any other issues or thoughts on engine height?
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