Ok...So heres the deal...Its been a long time since I have worked on my car due to gettin ready busy and kids and whatnot...anyways...I am now ready to dive back in and get this going...I was in contact with a guy on here that had put a SBC in his 51 and basically eduacted me but that was a long time ago and have since forgotten his insight...so I have some questions about mounting my motor yet again...I have a 327 that I am putting in my 51 plymouth...I bought a kit from plydo that supposedly bolts to the motor and will work with my frame and stock steering box...My questions are... What are the degrees that the motor/trans needs to be set at? What other detailed insight can you give me about mounting this beast... thanks guys...I greatly appreciate it and could use any help possible...
i give them about a 10 to 15 degree angle drop on the trans and put a level on it at the carb base side to side ..but the bubble in the center
Make sure and level engine, with car at ride height on all for corners...10 degrees are is about right..
Set a level on the carb mounting surface and when its at level with the car at ride height your good.
Thanks guys I appreciate it!... So I put the car up on jack stands and level her off...then use the degree finder on the carb mounting surface and when its about 10-15 degrees its good?...ORRRR...do I not use jack stands and just make sure the motor is level with whatever the frame says?...I would think jack stands would be easier to just make sure everything is level...but then I am not certain how you determine ride height? or if that would matter...
With the car sitting how it will be when it is on the road, you want the carb to sit level. So if the car is lower in the front than the rear, you want the car sitting that way when you set the engine up.
Set the car on the wheels at ride hight and take four measurements, one at each corner, from the floor to a fixed spot on the body, then set the car on what ever height jackstands you have and make sure that each corner measurement is the same as before plus the same jackstand height at each corner. Ie: you have 6" at the front two corners and 8" at the back to corners sitting at ride height. Then you add 15" inches of jack stand under it and make sure you have 21" at the front two corners and 23" at the back to corners. Then stick the engine in with the carb mount flange level in both directions, side to side and left to right. Jaysin
Ok...That makes sense...I am starting to remember how mu buddies and I had it set up like 2 years ago to do this...and were working with a front mount that wasn't set up for a sbc in a plymouth so we were custom making stuff...but now that I have the correct set-up hopefully it will be a bit smoother...thanks again!
Seems to me your going to have to set it in there with your lift and look for clearance issues first, then go to leveling it. Remembering along the way that you will have to have room for exhaust, shift linkage, dist. clearance, etc. A little adjusting here and there will save alot of headaches later and looking for a part that may not be easy to find.
BBBBut, don't you guys need to consider engine weight and front sheet metal weight to get a true ride height----so you can level the engine. I had two and a half guys stand on the front frame and the engine bay drops about 2 inches. might want to consider the weighted ride height when leveling the engine.
The motor is sitt'n right now...just not mounted in...it is just resting on the old setup we had...now I have a plydo kit that is suppose to work good with the stock steering box...and also I have a header that will work on that side that I got from glendale awhile back since he had an extra one...the only real issue I can think of is the distributor...may need to pound out a spot in my firewall for clearance on that...we'll see...
I totally agree with both of these, I was just trying to give him what he originally asked for. There are 100 (maybe a slight exaggeration) clearance issues that need to be dealt with before the engine is finally placed and one might just have to fudge on the leveling of the carb surface in the end for clearance of other things. Jaysin
Understood...I will be taking big consideration of my clearance for future headers, distributor, steering box, firewall, radiator, fan, etc, etc...thanks again you guys...appreciate it!
IT DOESNT REALLY MATTER!!! If the motor cared about the angle then we couldnt drive up and down hills right?? of course i mean this within reason, the only things that care are the carb oil pump pickup and driveshaft. Look at a Mid or late 50's studebaker, they mount their motor at a radical angle at the factory for more footroom!
I think you'll find that engine/transmission angle does matter. No expert here, but I have been doing some research while building my 51 merc. Street Rodders Chassis and Suspension Handbook says to check your shaft angles with all vehicle weight on board. engine/transmission angle should be the same as your rear-end I.e. parallel--and less than 5 degrees (3 degrees being ideal). Get the reading from the u-bolt machined surface, starter motor housing, tranny tailshaft.
And these other folks are correct--the carb base at level should set you at near the correct angle for the engine/tranny
Sooo...now I am confused...seems like everyone does it a little bit differently...so...you are saying get the readin off of the u-bolt surface FIRST while car sits as is with no jack stands? and whatever that is...your motor - (being the reading on the carb mount) should be about 5-3 degrees? or 5-3 degrees less than what the u-bolt states? Is there a good post already about this? like a step by step? It's hard to follow everyone's advice when everyone seems to do it a little bit differently...
This may help...the last few pics is how my car sits now...the motor is just sittin in there on an old setup that will not work...I have a new mount kit that supposedly works with my stock steering box...so this may give you an idea of what I am workin with...thanks...http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=266363
Sorry, didn't mean to confuse the issue. Just check the carb base on the intake to make sure you are level with loaded weight. The rear end should be at about the same angle when you get ready to hook up the drive line. This will make the u-joints run smooth and last a long time. You're looking good
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