I'm trying to get ahold of this '53 Chevy pickup I found and I'm trying to decide on engine. It has to be a V8, six banger/stick is coming out. I am thinking SBC, BBC, or Cadillac 500. I know the ins & outs of Cad V8's but am not sure how much room there is in the engine bay of the PU. Anyone put a big block in one of these? I'm thinking if someone has put a BBC in a Cad should fit...... Thanks- John
I've seen a lot of them with big blocks and they don't fit all that bad. I was going to put a 396 in mine but decided to go with a 292 straight six all dressed out.
theres one in my drive way, its my buddys and he put the motor real low so the headers are gunna be fun to make.
I've seen a number of them with BBC's under the hood. I'm building one with a 500 Cadillac right now. You'll have the same steering problem the Chevy V-8 guys have, plus the oil filter interferes with the front cross member. You'll need a rear sump pan if you don't already have one.
Hey bro go with a big block. Cad 500 is a great choice & if money is not a problem go with a 572 lots of fun!!!
Does that have rack & pinion steering? I don't have the truck handy but I was thinking the steering box was located about where the u joint is on that one....still, it looks like it will fit fine. I do have a rear sump pan and I was thinking the Cad engine might fit better since the distributor is in the front....hmmmmmm. Seeing how I have two Cad's laying around(a 472ci & a 500ci), as well as a BOP TH400, I should probly choose the Caddy V8 route. OldSub- any advice you want to give out would be greatly apreciated, seeing how you are doing the swap.... I'll be using the stock strait axle/steering setup for now btw So it would look like this- 500ci/TH400/12bolt truck rearend w 3.08:1 open.......guess I better get to work lol Thanks- John
I don't think you'll manage to get the motor in there without modifying the steering. You can't move the motor very far to the passenger side because you need room for exhaust. The steering box is right about where the driver's side exhaust manifold exits. On mine I'm putting a later Chevy pickup power steering ahead of the axle getting it completely out of the way. You'll either be modifying the bellhousing crossmember, the floor, or raising the cab to fit the motor and transmission in place. That BOP TH400 transmission is big and if its a Cadillac version its long. I solved that problem by going IFS and removing the bellhousing crossmember. Since that crossmember provides support for the rear mount of the front springs you need to keep it unless you go IFS. Mine is apart right now as I finish the IFS install. I don't have any pictures showing the motor mounted in the right place or the interference problems. But be assured its a tight fit!
Yeah, it's the Caddy long tailshaft TH400. I think I can probly mod the bell x-member, I have a good friend that is great at making metal stick together..... I want to go Mustang II but thats going to be down the road as budget allows, right now I'd like to get the thing going for this spring. I was planning on headers so maybe I can look at making a set that works around the stock steering box.... Or maybe theres a reason eveyone and they're gramma runs a good 'ol SBC! lmao -John
There are very few commercial headers available for this motor. Making them yourself is probably the only practical answer, and if you have to pay someone to do it buying the Mustang II at the beginning is probably cheaper. There is a reason most people choose the SBC. Its cheap and has lots of support. It is also harder to demonstrate creativity and original ideas using one.
We're finally driving the 49 Chevy truck now, and although it has most of the running gear in place, it needs all of the cosmetic body and paint work. It has a mustang II front clip with a manual rack. The powerhouse comes from a slightly modified SBC with a 350 tranny. Ram horn star exhaust manifolds were used, and while I originally thought there was an enormous amount of room in the engine bay, boy was I wrong. The steering column (72 Chev Van) and linkage interfered with the exhaust. So after debating about cutting the firewall out, I had to resort to cutting out the original hole to the tune of about two inches to the left (out) and down so that the steering column and its linkage could bypass the exhaust manifold. The other issue concerned the radiator. It sits too high, so we had to install an electric push fan and a regular 15" manual fan (sits too low on a short water pump) behind the original radiator. I'm eventually installing a sbc water pump riser with the six cylinder waterpump to raise the fan. The truck runs smooth as a large car. We have stock height front spindles and uncut front springs. We lowered the rear with 2 inch lowering blocks and are using original rear leaf springs that came with the truck. All I can say is build the truck the way you want it. These fellow hambers bring up some real good points. My goal was to get the truck on the road as soon as feasibility barriers could be overcome. My biggest surprise was that the engine bay was not as roomy as I initially thought. It took a little time to install the engine but did not anticipate the tight space, especially around the steering linkage and radiator. Good luck with the purchase and build up. We look forward to hearing some good news and seeing some pics of the truck.
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