Hot Rods 1930 Ford Model A and Blowen SBC motor question????

Anyone on here, know where to mount the motor mounts on a 29-31 Ford box frame for a 327 small block Chevy motor with a 6-71 blower?? Where to measure from off the front of the frame how far down to put the mounts to make the transmission work with the rear end?? And to clear the front cross member??

Long story short. I had a falling out with someone who I thought they knew what they were doing. Now I am stuck figuring this out on my own. Anything will help.

 

You need to just set your engine and transmission in there and see what fits best for you. Your blower pulley is going to be a tight fit.

 

Thanks, That is what I was thinking of doing this weekend. This is ( now the 3rd time of having to move the mounts ) No thanks to who I was working with.

I am not to familiar with drive shafts though. How straight should they be to the rear end? That is one of my main concerns. Is there a degree they can be off by or do they have to be almost straight??

 

Depends on your suspension set up. rule of thumb is down 3 degrees on the pinion from the driveshaft. Best thing would be to get it in there and post some pics.

 

No one can give you any exact measurements of where to put the mounts or how to position the motor/transmission...........every car is different in some way from every other car. It looks from your avatar like you already have the body, frame and running gear mocked up or semi done. Are those components in their final resting spot ? If so, you can begin mocking up the engine to where it fits and looks good.

Having that blower drive on the front is going to use up a lot of space that model a engine rooms do not have to start with, so I suspect you are going to be recessing the firewall maybe 4 inches to slide the motor back. Alllow an inch or two more room than you think you will need between the radiator and pulleys because it always seems to get tight in that area no matter how well you plan.

If you are going to have an electric fan, have the exact radiator and fan on hand so you get adequate clearance. No matter how well you think you measure, it always seems you will get a little surprise when final installation happens..........that is why I say leave a little wiggle room.

I would trial fit the engine and trans with the firewall out of the car completely so you don't have that interference to worry about. Drop it down and angle the engine and trans down about 3 degrees. Lower it until it looks good in the frame and so you have enough pan to ground clearance. Generally, sbc side mounts will be just slightly above the centerline of the frame rail, but that is not always the case........just a starting spot.

Use anything you can, like big blocks of lumber, to support the motor and trans and then sit back and stare at the car for a very long time. Shift things up and down and back and forth until you are convinced it looks good and everything clears. Take into consideration things like steering boxes, header clearance, tie rod clearance, etc.

Just take your time and tack weld the mounts on pretty well and then stare at the car some more. Good luck.

Don

Oh, as for your questions about the driveshaft angle, it would take a book to go into all the theories regarding driveline phasing, but here is the Readers Digest condensed vesion. Don't worry if when you look down on the car from above if the trans output is not in line with the rear end pinion shaft, most cars have their rear ends offset an inch or two. U joints are made to take up that difference.

Usually, you will put the output of the trans and the centerline of the crank pulley EXACTLY in the center of the frame from side to side. (Say your frame is 25 inches wide at the spot where your crank pulley is. Center the crank pulley bolt at 12.5 inches . Do the same with the trans output shafts. Now the engine is centered in the frame. (Some cars need the motor shoved to the passenger side for steering box clearance, etc but lets not confuse things by mentioning that)

Then aim the engine down 3-4 degrees from level (get a Home Depot $10 angle finder) and aim the input shaft of the rear axle UP 3-4 degrees. That will get you in the ballpark and will work. Some people will say that is overly simplistic and yes it is, but it generally is close enough to work well.

 

I am having the same prob. except i am running an olds 425 with a blower in my 29 model a coupe. i moved the firewall back little over 4 inches set my radiator in and gave my self 3 1/2 inches of clearence just incase i lose a blower belt i dont want it to tear up my radiator.

 

Thanks Don and kkustomz for all the help. The info I have received really pointed me into the right direction. Yes my motor is all set up minus carbs so I can pull it with the hoist. I do have the motor taped up to keep debree out and have it set up so I can drop the carbs and air cleaner on at anytime and I have a 4" recessed firewall that will still need to be modified. I opted for the tall valve covers.

Thanks for the help with the info for the drive shaft too. I was thinking 5-6 degrees for some reason I wasn't to sure. I pulled the motor back out today and will try to get the motor mounts cut out this week sometime. I will try to post pictures when I get a chance too and defiantly before I permanently wield them in hopefully for the last time. Thanks again

 

Sounds like you are on the right track. Just tack weld stuff to start as clearances and things in the way change as the build goes on. Then weld it all solid when you know it is right.

Don

 

Good advice......
Take your time setting it up then nail it after al the kinks are worked out.
Remember,its a Hot Rod -not a manned mission to Mars.
Its supposed to be fun....when it stops bein' fun- its work......

 

All the advice above is correct. It is a very tight fit. My '30' coupe has a 4" recessed firewall and the radiator needed to be moved forward about 3". My car is full fendered so the frame could not be stretched in the engine area. Essentially my engine sits where it would without the blower, but needed room up front for the snout. The lower pulley needed to be machined 1/4" to fit behind front cross memeber. Tolerances are very tight, but has been on the road for five years now, with no problems and lots of fun.

 

Hi guy's,
I had a blower on a small Chevy, in a 29, 2 door sedan. It was a tight fit. After moving the engine back about 3"(width of the lower blower pulley) , I had to recess the firewall,notch the sides of the cowl to clear the lake style headers, and notch the cowl at the top to accommodate the removal of the distributor. Anything is possible,thats what sets your ride apart from the majority of the other "A"s out there.
Good luck,
Roger

 

Put your engine in place with your lower blower pully on give your self 3/4 of an inch from your blower pully to your rad,surport level and set engine angle and weld up.

 

Thanks everyone for the help and advice I appreciate it. It is a tight fit but I think it will work this time around.

 

Were are you going to mount your radiator? It looks like your bottom pully is in the way.

 

I was figuring on making a bracket to move it forward a couple inches to compensate for the pulley. At least that was my plan anyways. I can't go back any further I already have a 4 inch recessed firewall and it is tight. I don't know what else to do.

 

heres mine. an 8-71 blown 454 chevy. 3" space between radiator and 7" set back firewall

 

I love cars with Lenco's...just add another gear and you won't need a driveshaft...must be getting close already....

 

got about 22" left so im ok.maybe have to add 2 more sections

 

move the body back 2 1/2 inches then move the engine back and you will be fine.

 

Hi,
Would love to see pictures of your '30.

¿Why could you NOT stretch the frame in the engine compartment?

Anything is possible............you may have to extend the HOOD; APRONS and RUNNING BOARDS. But it can be done.............
Once I finish my project, I will share some pic's..............

LG,
Mike

 

I will post pictures for you.

 

here it is.

 

5wcoupehunter that model a has a fantastic look!

 

Thank's I'm glad you like it.

 

Well I wish I wasn't left in the dark like have been and I don't have anyone one to turn to but here.
I am good with what I have rite now. And I think it should all work. I could see stretching the frame to make it easier but I don't have the know how and the experience to pull that off.
I have found a 1/8" means a lot in this situation. As far as the front cross member and everything else.
I am just trying to get ideas and I appreciate that a lot. But moving the body back will throw off the wheel well with the tires so that won't work. I think???
5wcoupehunter I love the ride everything looks good. But we have a different set up from the photos you posted. Just saying.

 

i agree ,moving the body would open up another can of worms. why couldnt you move the firewall back a couple more inches. or use 2" pulleys? i had a 30 with a 6-71 blown small block and it worked good. now im stuffing a big block with an 8-71 into a full fendered car and have 3" between the radiator. i have seen guys take a stock model a firewall that sticks out 3" and turn it around giving them a ton of room

 

That is looking good so far. I stretched my frame 5 inches and moved my firewall back 4". Its my avatar.

 

I would move the body back 2 1/2'' then move the engine back the same, no frame mods needed. no problem, that's what I did it worked great. when building a blower car you should mount the engine ...first then build around it, that's my 2 cents.