The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 350 mounting help

I have posted this in another section, but quickly I am installing my 52 1 ton on a 79 El Camino, well the engine the person was running in the El Camino prior to me getting it was a Pontiac 400. Needless to say I was trying to drop a 350 into the frame rails. It looks as though the person built a plate on top of the crossmember up front. Well I could be the strongest guy in the world and unless I bent the frame I am not getting the engine and the mounts in there.
This got me thinking, first chevy probably mounted the frame engine mounts to the crossmember and did not build a plate up in the air for it. I see holes in the crossmember and could get bolts up through there. Does anyone know if that is correct? Also with the added plates I am about a inch off from getting it to work.
continuing with this question, if I need to weld in a frame mount the engine needs to be ??? level ??? and the end of the tranny? ???

Thanks

yes the Mount's bolt directly to the cross member ,the carb should be level ,but make sure the drive line angle is no more than 3 degree's difference .

That was the info I needed, stripped off the plate that the prior owner made and although the mounts I have come with 4 bolt points, I hooked up 3 of them and the motor mounted itself right in. I just need to decide if 3 bolts is enough or weld in the mounts right to the frame for added strength.

A bit of advice from experience. If it has four bolt mounting points, use four bolts. There is a lot of torque on the motor mounts creating compressive, expansive and shear stresses during operation.

No need to risk damage and safety for the price of a bolt...

I wasn't clear, the frame only has 3 holes the mount I have has 4. There is no place for the 4th bolt.

Are you building or mocking up? I suspect the original engine location on the El Camino frame is too low and too far forward for the pickup body. You may want to raise the motor a few inches and move it back one or two also.

I am not sure about the too low point, only because I am lowering the entire cab down from the stock position to roughly 6in from the ground. The too far forward, I believe that there will be an issue there, I already planned on switching to electronic push fan to compensate for the loss of space. That should make up the difference that I am out. on the motor. Otherwise the measurements appear to be right on.

You're working with an El Camino frame and I've not dealt with one of those.

I know the guys using S-10 frames find mounting the motor in the stock location means its both too low and too far forward. That is on trucks that are severly lowered, but your situation could be different.

You had me intrigued on the too far forward and when I got home from work today took some measurements from the wheel center to the front of the radiator and did the same on the frame with the engine. If I am estimating correctly it is >4 in pushed forward. But that would mean that the firewall would need to be cut into which is not something I want to do. When I did the first check it was without the engine in.
The height part, I am not even sure how to check that, what is too low? I was off by that measurement it worries that I am off by the other too. There goes being excited that I was on the right path.

Any thoughts? Also should I go buy one of those universal mounts then for the engine?

My thought would be that you should mock things up before welding final brackets and mounts in place. You've got the obvious concerns regarding getting the motor back far enough while not back too far, getting it high enough while not getting it too high, and making sure headers, fan, linkage will all work.

Then you also need to get the motor level left and right and the crankshaft centerline aligned correctly.

Once you know where you want the motor you can determine what will be the best way to actually mount it.

Jackyl,
Fit the engine with all of its accessories....
alternator, starter motor, sump, dizzy,
cooling fan, exhaust pipes etc.

Then sit a spirit level across the carby mounting flange and suspend the engine within the frame.

You need to sit the engine as close to the firewall as you can get it, have the sump as shallow as possible so that it does not protrude any further than other underbody components.

Check your exhaust and steering clearances, then simply use the spirit level so that the carby flange is dead level.

This will give you the correct engine angle as long as it is carried out on level ground.
Measure from the frame rails to the sides of the harmonic balancer at the front, and the same to the output shaft sides of the gearbox, and this will ensure it is centred correctly.

From here you will need to tack the engine mounts in place and set the height of your gearbox crossmember to hold the engine in this position.

Good luck...........Doc Bob.