motor location

[L79_Acadian]

Hi everyone,
     Ive been lurking here for a while, now I need to ask a question. I bought a chassis, 160" car,tacked together. Well after welding the chassis together, its time to install the rear end and motor plate and mounts. Anyway, I'm not getting any real help from the chassis builder, so I'm hoping to get help from the forum.I enclosed a few pictures, in one of the pictures you can see where the boss on the side of the block is hitting the frame. Oh I was tolg that the motor should be 39"out with a standard length glide. Is there a simple cure?
  Thanks in advance,
                              Roger

[ricardo1967]

Roger,
I'm not a chassis expert in any shape or form, so I'd appreciate the pro's chiming in. But I did have to hack saw about 3/8" off of my SBC block in that area, on the left side (opposite to starter), to make it fit in an early FED chassis.

It looks like a nice project. Welcome to the FrontEngineDragsters.org forum.

[Tim Jones]

I too have cut alittle off a sbc to make it fit, But also couldn't you use alittle longer coupler and move it out an inch, Or use a shorty tailshaft with shorter coupler or shaft and move it back an inch, not sure if an inch one way or the other would afect how the car works, maybe Rooman will chime in,,   Tim Jones

[tylercrawford]

I also took the grinder to the block a little 

Good thing you didn't let a certain chassis guy see your unsupported bend in the top rail! 

[ricci32]

TYLER that is funny LOL.

[Supercat]

Roger welcome.

I went out and checked what my cars measure,engine plate to axle center-line:

148"FED   31",
160"FED   39",
200"FED   43.5",
I use a short powerglide and a ford 9".

All of them use the vertical tube as part of the bulkhead at the engine plate. On our 200" I had to space my engine plate forward 1/4" (due to the starter hole being to close to the up-rite) This left a gap between the plate and up-rite between 1/8"-1/4" that I sealed with a urethane epoxy to slow possible fire into the drivers compartment. 

Lets see some more pictures......

[wideopen231]

mines at 50" out.Use any transmission you want it will beed drive shaft.Then car is 225". Idealy you need rear motor plate over the upright or just infront of it.

[rooman]

Idealy you need rear motor plate over the upright or just infront of it.

That is one of the problems with John's frames--he builds them with no consideration as to what motor/trans package is going to be used and consequently the uprights are rarely where they really should be. The only saving grace is the fact that the wall thickness is such that they are less likely to bend. Steve Morgan can tell you what happens when the motor is hung on an unsupported section of the frame rail on a chassis that is made out of thinner tubing.

Roo

[hotrod316]

love you too roo
steve morgan

[L79_Acadian]

I actually am moving the rear end back a inch or two, this will put the motor plate right at the location of the uprights.
 Oh and I did grind the block slightly,now the block centers in the chasis.
     Thanks Guys,

[George]

Is a SFI cert. allowed before a engine is  location determined?

[Frontenginedragsters]

Grinding/milling material off the block is common practice. Take what you need and alittle extra!

[tylercrawford]

Is a SFI cert. allowed before a engine is  location determined?

Hmm . . . I'll have to check my copy of the SFI rules.

The rules really only address what is behind the motor plate so it is possible.  I know when I got my frame certified I didn't even have the motor plate or anything else on it.  Loaded up the frame in the back of the truck and took it down to the track.