I'm going to throw a monkey wrench in your machine! LOL Back in the 60s-70s all the motor homes ran Mopar 413s care to guess why? Torque and mileage!
I'm a diehard ford guy, but I say keep the Chevy. Why? It's already there and it fits in the chevy frame perfect. An FE under the floor in that frame....not so much.
X2. Keep moving forward, every step back lengthens your timeline dramatically. The FE is a great engine, but compared to the SBC is HUGE! '27 T Roadster build: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=734383
Get the truck , keep the sbc , use FE for another project or trade for other parts (2 cases of JD ) .LOL . But really the price is right and it makes great trading parts . BLUE
Hey guys so not too much to report Just some floor patching I started today. First the old patch out.. I made this patch a year ago with a 99 $ harbor freight welder and way too much Jack. New patch hammerformed on 16ga cold rolled steel. Not perfect but its presentable. I still need to tweak the patch panel a bit.
As u can see in the next pics..the previous owner torched part of tye floor and some bracing with it. Thats why I "patched"it in the first place. So I had to fab the bracing piece from some angle iron and flat bar... Cut here , bend there, weld etc. I cut a piece of the bracing to copy the shape. I ran out of mig wire but I have a tiny spool of solid wire and some argon/co2 that ive been dying to try out.
What a difference a year makes! My '27 T Roadster build:  http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t= 734383
My father had a 69 ford f-250 that was an ex-air force truck. it was a camper special with a 2 barrel 360, a c-6, no power steering or brakes. he had an 11 foot slide in camper and got 18 MPG no matter what he did with it. a 77 would have all the smog get up and a 4 barrel. I would change the cam and timing chain for an earlier. get a vaccum secondary carb and probably get some where in the range of 14-15 with a good tune. the FE's are great motor's I am a card carrying chevy guy but you gotta respect and know the opposition or they will walk all over you.
Thank u guys I truly appreciate it. I could never do this with out the help of the hamb and its members. So I had my 1.5 hour nap after working the nite shift and webt outside and played. I hooked the Hobart 140 to tge co2 tank and started welding. Holy smokes this is amazing!! No splatter, no smoke and it burns hotter!! how come no one told me about this?? After a couple of shots I kinda got the hang of it. I finished the bracing that I started yesterday and welded it today. After I smoothed the welds, I realized I had to make a bend on the bottom so I made a cut and welded it back.
I wasnt happy with the way I welded the steering column delete patch that I made last year. I got no penetration and I decided I want to screw it in instead of welding it. Also I havent made the hole for the column cuz I want to heat/bend the steering arm and move the steering box angle, drill new holes in the frame etc., so the column goes where the stock column goes through so I can use my right foot only. I might get away with making tge hole 2" below stock.. Im not sure. Oh and I made a new patch/delete cover thingy.
The hammer formed floor patch looks good - if the profile of the indented areas doesn't match the stock floor, use the same die on the stock floor to even it out & blend it in. I've used a c-clamp with simple dies to form metal in place like this.
Today I revisited my steering column, shaft and played around with my pedals to where i can use my right foot only and still be comfortable. I have a ranger seat and I had it against the back o' the cab and it was too far from the pedals... Thank goodness im short. And jack for making me skinny. I want to use a Ford f1 wheel but the shaft is a chevy. I cut the spline part out of the wheel and I welded a chevy spline from a chevy wheel.. Would u ride with ne knowing I did that? ? I could always use a chevy wheel.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aHN6AViJAvI&desktop_uri=/watch?v=aHN6AViJAvI So scratch that welded steering wheel I found a nice gm steering wheel with the right splines... Theres not critical parts welded/modified in my steering and brakes...the ones that were modified were for tge aesthetic aspect. Its a load off my shoulders.
I like those steering wheels too, but i believe you have it upside down. What is that horn button from?
The steering wheel is off a 56 gmc and the horn button is custom made haha. Still gotta paint the wheel.
Haha joyflea.livin dangerously! !! So guys. I want to lower the sbc about 2.5", I have about 3.25" of clearance between crossmember and pan. Is 1/2"-5/8 enough clearance? I need to find out if a th700 and a th400 ar the same so I can start fabrimacating the crossmember.
So I lowered the engine but I think I lowered it too much I only have 1/2'' clearence. Need to make spacers. But now the doghouse fits like it did stock. And chose a paint scheme for the steering wheel.
Lots of sites show trans dimensions, just Google GM trans dimensions and you'll find everything you need quick. My '27 T Roadster build:  http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t= 734383
Seth- My take on this is as long as you can unbolt the engine and you can unbolt the trans for any needed reason then put the engine the 1/2 inch above the crossmember. Having the doghouse fit is a huge bonus. I use about 2in square tubing when I fabricate trans mounts and hang them or set them on the frame rail so it can be unbolted from the mount and frame.I would also consider moving the brake pedal over for better comfort. Looking great!
What a great build! I found this this morning and had to read the whole thing in one sitting.It looks like you will be using the doghouse for a foot rest when it is time to cruise.
Thanks. I will definitely need something to rest my feets. I been thinking of ditching the bench seat for some bucket seats. Since its just gonna be my son and I.plus itll give me the space to run a floor shift. Im thinking about the old uncomfortable kind or even a pair of stock coe seats. I hate late model buckets with a passion. Thanks guys
The Jalopy Journal
