The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1946 Chevy 1/2Ton - Engine Alignment

Maybe I'm just paranoid, I was at the front of my truck and notice the engine kind of points a little to the passenger side. Should it be perfectly straight pointing forward? I found an old picture of my 216 before I removed it and maybe it points a little to the passenger side, maybe? This morning I loosened the front engine mounts, transmission mounts and the torque tube support bolts. Wriggled everything a little, but didn't notice any movement. Should I not worry so much?

I think they shifted the engine slightly to the right, in order to clear the steering column and gearbox. Looks alright to me, but I'm sure someone with far more knowledge will chime in. Nice job BTW, looks great!

And maybe to give a little room for the generator/alternator?

Could the frame be bent from a long ago collision? With Sparky’s restoration journey it was discovered he’d been tagged right front and left rear some time along use on a farm. Neither tweak was noticeable until body assembly neared and measurements taken. A buddy stopped by to help on another project and noticed that one of the rear bumper brackets to frame alignment looked a bit off. It was double checked and resulted in an experience with a body shop frame machine.

It's hard to tell from your pictures because your camera is not exactly positioned in the center of the vehicle, nor is your camera lens exactly perpendicular to the vehicle.

Tape a string exactly in the windshield center and run it down to the exact center of the radiator ans see what's what.

I don't believe it was in an accident, but I've only had it for 25 years. I did measure the frame crisscross in a few places and things looked OK. Frame looks straight as far as I can tell. Maybe I worry too much.

I'll give that a try.

The photo showing the 216 mounted seems to show it skewed toward the right (passenger) side. The engine looks not to be perpendicular to the cowl. Also, it seems the alignment of the radiator to the fan doesn’t appear to be parallel? If so, there is something wrong somewhere. That misalignment is also looks to be shown in the photos with the 235. That is why my observation about a collision was offered. It would also seem, but not knowing otherwise, the angle difference from correct would affect the drive train alignment and lead to other problems?

I looked at a few pictures from months ago and I wished I would have taken them from directly in front. But, at these angles it looks to be straight and in line. Maybe the cab makes it look like an optical illusion or maybe I mounted the cab a little off? I'll check the cab tomorrow. Thanks for the input and suggestions everyone!

Quick and dirty measurements of several points shown in your photos of the bare frame seem to show good alignment. The cab placement and radiator assembly may need adjustments?

Your workmanship looks to be excellent! Your documentation of the process is admirable as well. Unfortunately, although I took many photos of Sparky’s rise from the ashes I didn’t do a very good job keeping a daily or even a weekly log. Huge woulda, coulda, shoulda, on my part.

One of the things that I've noticed is my thermostat housing aligns with my radiator inlet. It's a straight shot for the upper hose, so now I'm feeling better about where the front of the engine is sitting. I remember someone saying, "You can worry a thing to death."

True. I'd still run a string line and see for sure just to satisfy my curiosity. You'll be able to tall right away what's parallel and what isn't.

I was helping a neighbor move dirt for most of the day, but here's a "string theory" picture. All to do about nothing - looks OK to me. Now to put it back together.

Yep. That looks parallel to me. I think your photos just made it look crooked due to the lens/angle and position of camera, etc.

I'm sure you now have peace of mind, though.