SPREADING BUTTER ON THE FRAME RAILS

Greetings!
I've been trying to overcome the limitations of the narrow chassis on Gary's '51 Chevy coupe. It's so narrow at 22" that it's difficult to set the engine down low and close to the firewall like it should be. I want to use tubing exhaust headers for both appearance and performance but anything other than the stock cast iron manifolds hit the steering shaft. 

I started to position the engine in the frame by placing a length of 2X4 pine on the crossmember and lowering the engine onto it until it rested on the oil pan. Then, I would level it side to side and front to back before attempting to make the motor mounts. If I brought the engine way far forward it would clear the steering. If I raised it up way high it would also clear. 

I was expecting Gary to visit soon so I placed a 6-71 supercharger on the mock-up engine so it would make a stunning first impression. At first I placed the supercharger manifold on the engine and placed my bubble level on the manifold to check side to side and front to back level. 

My mistake: the blower manifold doesn't have the same front to back slope that a carburetor manifold has. You see, the manifold for a carburetor has a base for the carb that is slightly higher in the back than in the front. This is so that when the engine is properly tilted lower in the back than the front, the carburetor sits parallel with the ground and that makes sure the float bowls are level so the fuel level in the bowls is constant. 

When I leveled the engine using the supercharger manifold surface (which doesn't slope up in the back) I was raising the transmission tail shaft way too high. It actually smacked the top of the transmission tunnel before the bubble level was correct. I caught myself and switched to a Quadrajet manifold. It was soon level in all directions. 

I finally got the clearance I was after by raising the engine up on two chunks of 2X4 plus a 1" spacer and bringing it slightly forward from where I would have liked it. You can see the wood under the oil pan if you look in the photo above. I installed a long water pump on the front of the engine and checked the distance from the tip of the water pump to the radiator and it seemed to be sufficient. At that point I cut some steel strap metal for the horizontal mounts and then trimmed some 1/4" steel for a pair of vertical mounts and tacked everything in place.

Here's a shot of the transmission tunnel and the crossmember that supported the transmission and the emergency brake linkage. It's too high for the new 4-speed and too far forward. I chopped it out but may be able to re-use it in the same place, upside down. This is the part of the job where I lay on my back and get crud in my eyes and hair. It's a good thing that my hair's so thin, the chunks of crud fall out as easily as they fell in. 

Gary came by this afternoon for a surprise visit and caught me in the middle of motor mount trimming while I visited with my friend, John Reid. John is a local truck driver and knows somewhat about what tools can do. Gary took the guided tour of his car and seemed pleased with the progress and with the steps I'd taken on my own, such as the noise/temp insulation in the doors and side panels and the smooth firewall panel. He especially liked the new door handles and the cool scratch guards I located at The Truck & Car Shop, and the way the doors opened and closed so smoothly. The pleasure he took made me feel good about the hours spent and the cuts and scratches on my hands. That must be how my little grandson feels when I commend him for putting a book away or picking up his blanket. I am so simple.

So anyway, by tomorrow night I should have the transmission mounted and the engine out so I can carefully weld everything up tight. At that time, I'l finish with the body work on the welded seam on the new firewall panel. I'll let you know how that goes.

Doug