v8 conversion: engine mounted at an angle?

[renniksn]

Hello,

My 68 is going through a v6--v8 (and automatic transmission) conversion currently. I went to see it and the new v8 engine appears to be mounted at a slight angle - higher in the front than in the back. The mechanic said that it was done like that in order to avoid cutting into the frame/body. I've attached a picture although it's hard to see the angle.

Is this normal/expected?

 

[mpboxer]

Did he replace the motor towers? Inline 6 to V8 mounts are different. I definitely know if you keep the 6 cyl mounts it puts the engine closer to the driver side and you can only fit a shorty oil filter on there. Don't know specifics about height though, sorry.

 

[renniksn]

they did change out the motor mounts (they sent me pics of that when they did it)...

here's a better picture so the angle can be seen:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fa9m8a6oah9irb8/newEnginein.jpg?dl=0

 

[bronconut73]

Yea......that ain't right Homie.

Perhaps the engine towers were welded to the frame incorrectly.

 

[Rustytruck]

You have to check closely at the rear of the drivers side valve cover. You have to fit the throttle linkage in there. If I remember right there is at least 1-1/2" between the valve cover and the firewall. When I remove the transmission I stick a piece of 2x4 between the valve cover and the firewall so the engine doesnt tilt back and send the fan into the radiator.

 

[DirtDonk]

A little higher in the front is normal for most older vehicles, including our trucks. What is not normal however is the sideways tilt yours looks to have. But because the engine mount towers have fairly long slotted holes for the stud to stick through, you can tilt the engine pretty good. Yours looks like it's just not sitting evenly in the holes.

I would get a hoist to lift it out of the saddles slightly and tilt it back. I've done it even without a hoist, but it would be much easier if the weight of the engine was off the towers/saddles.
In my case, two of us sat on the fenders and each grabbed a shorty header as a handle and twisted. Voila! Straight engine and no header or pulley clearance issues with the frame.
You can do the same thing with a jack most likely. But a hoist would seem to be the better bet.

If the trans and crossmember are bolted tight, I would loosen both the crossmember and the mounts.
By the way, are the insulators/mounts installed at the crossmember?

As far as rearward tilt, while you don't want the cylinder heads or valve covers hitting the firewall, there isn't much clearance back there either. By the time you made the engine level, you'd never fit the transmission in the tunnel.

Paul

 

[pennyduke]

This picture may help a little. I'm doing the same conversion and my motor came out pretty close to level. You can see the slots in the towers that allow you to tilt the motor a little side to side if needed.

 

[Crush]

The engine is supposed to have a slight rearward tilt. The carburator mounting base should be level both front to back and side to side. Most every factory carburated intake you will find in just about every manufacturer will have the carb mounting surface taller in the rear just for this reason. Something about the engine needs to tilt back to keep drivelines in kine and helps with oil returning to the pump pick up

I would do like Paul suggested and loosen up the motor mount bolts that go through the frame mounts and the transmission mount bolts and the you can push up with a jack on the lower side until it sits flat. Front to back is a feature of trans mount thickness. You may have to loosen the mount bolts and slide the mounts up or add some washers/spacers to bring up the rear

 

[spap]

My fuel injected 5.0 leans a little up on the pass side, check the motor mounts and everything is even. Motor have never been changed.

But it nothing close to the lean you have

 

[73azbronco]

I had to massage mine around on the mounting holes to get it level side to side and Mine was factory V8 frame untouched by human hands. And by massage I mean crowbar and engine hoist.

 

[chriskent85]

Mine was like that when i got it. The PO Bought new motor mounts to weld on but only welded the driver side V8 on and welded the I6 mount on the other side. I will never know what he was thinking if he had the correct mount but installed the wrong one.

 

[jim3326]

I had the same problem (in my own mind anyway). I felt the engine was too high when I looked at the harmonic and it was about 1 1/2" above the crossmember. I didn't test fit the engine before welding the mounts, my bad. I had to notch the holes on the top to even get the stock mounts to drop in when attached to the engine. I ended up fabbing my own extreme motor mounts to get it down to about 1/2" clearance.

 

[renniksn]

thanks everyone for all the context - really helpful. I'm going to have a look at the mounts and make sure everything is as it should be based on your comments. Appreciate it!

 

[Rustytruck]

let us know how it comes out.

 

[eBronc2]

Also keep in mind the factory frame mounts are not symmetrical - they are slightly different shapes, the engine is shifted over the passenger side from the factory slightly to give a little more room for the front driveshaft and differential on the axle under the oil pan.