Doing a new build on a future 53-56 Ford truck. (no body yet) Working on a bare frame and mocking up the angle and location of a 289 small block Ford. Got a block mocked up with the distance from the front I want and need for fan, radiator etc. Without getting into a driveshaft angle debate which I understand and will address that later. My question is ……Should the motor be level front to back or should it be angled to the rear a bit? Any suggestions on how much.
Depends on the rest of it I set all 3 angles at once. Rear, DS and engine. At ride height And depends on if you think the carb needs to be level at ride height. (I don’t)
I’m actually just checking my layout now. Always had my flathead on about a 0.5 degree angle, but most folks say it should be at zero degrees. Not really a concern over that half of a degree as it pertains to the carb float, but over the length from the engine mounts to the centre of the trans yoke (a distance of about 60”), that half of a degree translates to a 0.5” drop. In my case, that half of an inch in difference changes my driveshaft angle from 13 degrees to 5 degrees since my driveshaft is only 13” lg yoke to yoke. I know you said you didn’t want to get into driveshaft angles, but since I literally just posted about this in my build thread, I thought I would share my findings.
I’ve seen it done both ways. Personally I would go with whatever you think looks best. I angled the one in my T Bucket 3 degrees, mostly just to gain a tiny bit of foot room in the car.
When ever Ford installed the 289 motor, it was probably installed so the carb was level on level ground. Most intake manifolds (all brands from the 60s - 80s with the motor facing forward & rearward, not cross mounted) have the carb mounting flange set with a 3 degrees forward lower cut, so when the carb is level, the motor has the back end 3 degrees lower then the front of the motor, and is level side to side. Then the new car buyer put air shocks on the rear and jacked it way up. Then he dropped the front of the car lower then it was originally produced, and the entire plan went array. The world didn't disintegrate, so the plan became a suggestion. I speculate the original rear downward 3 degree angle was to aid in fluid draining, but there are probably 1,000 different explanations. Pick one, or ignore them all.
In the best of worlds, have your rolling frame completely done (and the engine location already determined from the firewall position, etc.), at the desired rake and ride height (or a tad higher?), and with the exact size wheels and tires you plan to run. Then mount the engine with the carb mounting plane level. Adjustments will probably have to be made for the weight of the body... but as long as you have reasonable suspension travel you should be in the ball park.
It may depend on fuel system used. If carburetor, many intake manifolds have a tilt on the carburetor mount flange. You typically want that level and this will set your engine downward tilt. EFI doesn't care.
I have always thought the carb level thing was silly. What’s the first things hot rodder does? The rake. Bigs and littles… What if we decide to change tire sizes? Then there are driving conditions. Do you always ensure that the intake is level when parking? What about when driving? Does this apply when crossing the Continental Divide? The manufacturer has the best world scenario. They create the car from scratch and the tire sizes. Once we leave that envelope, all R&D is null and void. If you are building a generator that sits, bolted to a concrete pad, then I say yes. Not being combative, just asking….
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