After getting the chassis cleared, I pulled the engine and transmission so I could spot the cab. No matter what else I did with the rest of the chassis the front wheels had to fit the wheel wells of the cab.
I set the cab in place and blocked it up to the height I wanted then started figuring out where to put the engine/transmission. My first thought was to place it behind the cab in the bed and build a box over and around it. But by the time I spotted it there and figured out where the rear axle would have to go, the bed got longer than I wanted. At one point I even considered doing a stepped cab, but I wanted something smaller this time like a standard pick-up. Something easy to drive around and would fit into a standard size garage with only an 8' bed and more mainstream wheelbase. With the front axle set, I then measured my wife's F-150 to see how far the center of the rear axle set in from the rear of the bed. Then I measured 8' 5" from the back of my cab on the frame and went forward the 36" to the center of the rear axle to match what was on the F-150. I went 8' 5" for the box because I needed 1" from the front of the box to the cab for clearance and 1 1/2" for the front of the box and the tailgate each and that left 8' 1" inside so I could get a full sheet of plywood in it and still close the tailgate. I wanted the driveline long enough so the angle from the transmission to the rearend wouldn't get too steep and cause major problems. That told me the engine had to go under the cab if I wanted to keep the bed at 8'. In order to keep the cab at a normal height I needed to lower the engine (a small block Chevy) enough to fit it under the cab. I lifted the cab off the frame but left the blocks where they were and set it aside. Then I placed the engine/transmission that were still connected between the frame rails on carts and rolled them into place. I wanted approximately 24" from the tail stock to the center of the U-joint on the rear end. Once that was complete, I placed the cab back on the frame blocked up to the final height and jacked the engine/transmission up under the cab, so I just had enough room under the cab to fit an air cleaner. That gave me 12" clearance from the floor to the bottom of the oil pan at ride height. I also checked the elevation of the tail stock to the rear end, and the driveline would sit almost level. Liking where it was at and how it fit, I secured it in place.
From there I pulled the cab back off and got everything straight and in line so I could start fabricating motor and transmission mounts.
Last edited by COCOE; 05/08/20269:41 PM. Reason: to add photos
