A Powerplant and a Tiny Drunken Man

After getting the engine all together and prettified in the last installment of this fine public service known as my blog, I started to test fit it. It very quickly became apparent that the engine was too far back. I had already modified the transmission crossmember in anticipation that the engine would need to move forward, but it needed to go yet another inch forward. So again (for the fourth or fifth time) I busted out the angle grinder to modify a crossmember for this car.

Cuttin' and grindin' as I am wont to do

Another inch forward

Tacked in

All welded up

Once the engine was in place, I started looking at motor mount options. Ideally I wanted to re-use the big chonky motor mount absorbers I had used with the 4-banger, but there was a distinct lack of space on the driver's side. The more I stared at it the more I knew that there was a perfect option for engine mounting. TCI, the supplier of my suspension kit, makes a motor mount that was an exact fit, and I knew this because I had a set at one point. That's right TCI provided me with a set of motor mounts that were exactly what I needed for this swap and I threw them away at some point. Well I didn't exactly throw them away, I re purposed the bushing, put the rest of the mount in a box, and then threw that away at some point. This is all to say that I had to spend good money on something I already had, and then threw away. I am so smrt.

Now that I had the mounts in hand for the second time, I could weld tabs to the crossmember (there had previously been tabs, but I cut those off as well.

Lots of space on the passenger side.

Not so much on the driver's side. I think I'll be using a different
power steering hose, this one is too close to the motor mount bolt.

A Small Block Ford in it's natural habitat

Not a lot of hood clearance but it should be sufficient.

Bolted up the accessory brackets, they are not that photogenic.

Steering/motor mount clearance

Now when I said there was plenty of room on the passenger's side, I meant there was plenty of room so long as there were no headers in place. There might even be plenty of room if I had used headers appropriate for the application but in classic Jesse fashion, I decided to make it hard for myself. These headers are for a 94-95 Mustang 5.0. I bought them because I wanted long tube headers, and didn't know of any for this specific motor/suspension/steering combo. Also I wanted the thickest header flanges and tubes I could find, and I wanted it all under $300. These fit the criteria and I figured if they needed modification, I could figure that out.

So back to the passenger side... The passenger side motor mount bolt and nut interfered with one of the tubes. I trimmed back he bolt but there was still some interference. With confidence given me by an episode of Engine Masters, I busted out the ball peen  hammer and made some room.

Look ma, I'm a fabricator!

the corner of the A-arm mount also needed a little room

The driver's side header had technically had clearance but is a huge pain in the butt. The whole area is really tight between the header, motor mount, and steering shaft. To install this header, the motor mount has to be unbolted from the frame and loosened from the engine block, while the driver's side of the motor is lifted by a jack or hoist. The header can then be set in place, but not bolted up. The engine is then lowered into place and bolted up, after which the header can be bolted down. It's a really fun thing to do. 

With all the accessories bolted up, we get an idea of what the finished product will look like. I think the accessories would look better mounted lower, but they'll perform just fine like this. In reality, having good solid OEM engineered accessory mounts should make for a pretty problem-free belt drive.

This right here is the money shot. It's what you came for, so soak it in.

With the moving forward of the powertrain, this meant I had to replace my beautiful aluminum driveshaft with something a little longer. I was not prepared to pay the price for another aluminum shaft and found a good deal on a steel shaft. Sadly, it's probably triple the weight.

52" driveshaft

Installed.

Recently a good friend of mine has gained an interest in garage work. He's a ton of fun but not conducive to getting a lot done. He is very enthusiastic and observant, he'll try anything he sees me do, but is in constant danger of killing himself. I think it's a bit like having an eager but ever-inebriated assistant. 

Keep an eye out for more updates in the next few weeks, I've been chipping away at a few other items.