Looking for some guidance and recommendations. Finally (after 40+years of waiting) making big progress on a '33 Ford 3W Coupe. Stock frame (boxed), steel car, stock firewall. Seems I ran out of real estate. I know I'm not exactly breaking new ground here, so bear with me...! Using a points type distributor, and short water pump, and distributor almost kissing the firewall, I can't lean the stock radiator back far enough (hits the water pump pulley). Rad I have is a stock 3" - it it's there for mock up purposes only. Who did what / is running what radiator, etc.? I plan on running hood and fenders, and a/c. Thanks in advance.
The distributor drive option looks like a wash with regards to gains in room, as spacers are needed for the pulleys, but neat idea. Some say blasphemy is a Chev in a Ford... I'm trying to avoid cutting / moving the firewall.
So, before I went to town on things, I laid the top hood in place about where it needed to go, and took a measurement from cowl lip to the back of the grille at the rad. cap, down the center as if under the center hinge. (31 3/4"). Thought I was good to go... I need to gain an inch minimum. It looks like it's way more in the last pic; just the angle it is taken.
Fiddle with it all you want. Then , move the engine back , like every other 33 / 34 with a small block Chevy. You'll only have to notch for the distributor .
Get a piece of 6" exhaust pipe cut it vertically and graph it into the firewall right behind the Dist. You'll get 3" more space. Then get a Mallory dual point Dist. and put a Pertronix in it and you'll gain another 3/8" space if needed. Move the trans dip stick tube outboard of the Head, it won't know you did it but it will help also.
Looks like a good idea Pete. Looking at that auto dipstick,,,,won’t he have to notch for it as well? Tommy Sorry Wizard,,,you were faster on the keyboard. Lol.
This is a 2.5 inch setback. Might be a little more fab than you want to do. But, it gives you plenty of room for everything. At the minimum, make a distributor recess, move the engine back until the rearmost valve cover has a 1/4 inch of clearance against the firewall and let her fly. It sucks to cut the firewall and move your motor mounts, but it needs to be done. Good luck, -Abone.
In this last photo with the motor in and the Firewall painted it looks like there is a spacer between the pump pulley and the fan blade. Is that true and if so why? How much space between the front of the blades and the rad core? This info may help Pass the Torch decide how and how much to do on his car.
Everybody thinks their 33-34 firewall is so sacred and shouldn't be cut. BLAH. Cut it back a few inches, give yourself plenty of room, and be done with it. If you ever (and you will) have to service something on the engine you will be glad everything isn't jammed up against each other. Ya know how you bitch about modern cars not having room to stick a wrench or your hand? Don't do it to yourself.
I already have two as it is. This one is for comfort. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I was never opposed to cutting anything. I wanted to see who did what, and why. As I said, not breaking any new ground, just wanted to see what my options were. I would rather have asked for suggestions and ideas before butchering and ruining the car and get a lot of “What were you thinking”. I do appreciate all the input and suggestions, which is why I posted question in the first place. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Here is a shot of the previous owner giant 5 inch firewall recess. Totally unnecessary, you could have stuck your whole head behind the engine. I left the engine where it was, just made a new firewall with a 2.5 inch recess and still needed a spacer to get the fan closer to the radiator. -Abone
Here is a shot of the pedal area with the 2.5 inch recess. You can see where the giant transmission tunnel was for the 5 inch firewall. Again, totally unnecessary. -Abone.
Thanks Abone for getting back. I'm sure the photos will help Pass The Torch make some decisions. Hopefully not as drastic a move as the P.O. did on your car. Must have had a totally different drive train in it along the way. Maybe something with a 3" wide belt in the front of it all.
I am also interested in this. Looking to run an early small block Chevy with stock firewall, would be willing to make a pocket for the distributor. Does anyone have detailed pictures of one??
Since you already gonna run a Shivel-lay motor in a FoMoCo car........what's the big deal of cutting a pocket in the firewall to make the distrib. fit? You done runt-it anyhow! J/K I like what cornfed said..don't trap your self by jamm'in everything in a space.(IF you have a choice) 6sally6
An update; thanks to all of the suggestions. 2” was what I settled on. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app