Help! Relocating engine 3" forward of factory location.

[David_Ingermann]

Hi all, I made the decision to put a T-56 Magnum into my Coupe instead of the 5 speed. One thing I didn't account for was the difference in length between the bellhousing and mount point. To cut to the chase with the transmission as far back as I can put it my motor misses the motor mounts by ~3". I've got an idea to make a plate to weld onto the motor mounts that overhangs by 3 inches like this:
65018
Any other suggestions?
My only other concern is the effect this will have on my exhaust routing. Would the supplied headers be easy to modify to go three inches further back or am I looking at starting from scratch? Any input much appreciated thanks in advance!

[michael everson]

You can gain 2 inches just by swapping the motor mounts from side to side. Maybe there is still room on the existing mounts to drill another set of holes an inch ahead? I would think moving the engine that far forward would really upset the balance of the car though. You will need to start from scratch on your headers.
Mike

[CraigS]

I would re-think trans choice if I were you. The header problem alone would do it for me. W/ cars this light weight, I think 5 gears is plenty. If you go to a TKO600 you can choose your 5th gear ratio from two options. The more common .6 is similar to a standard T5 while the .8 gives a much more natural change from 4th to 5th. I believe there are also two options for 1st but don't know the #s offhand.

[Jeff Kleiner]

This is posted in the roadster forum but you said Coupe. Which is it? The Coupe wheelbase is longer than the roadster and the engine is already farther forward in relation to the rear wheel centerline. Rather than moving the engine forward can't you leave it as-is and just let the trans end up farther rearward? The Coupe driveshaft is approximately 3 longer than the roadster's so in the end you would end up with pretty much the same relationship between the transmission and rear end. I'd sure rather fabricate a trans mount than headers not to mention dealing with the other "Pandora's box" items that moving the engine would result in. Am I missing something here?

Jeff

[GoDadGo]

I've opened Pandora's Box and while it has been fun, it has created more than a few issues. Just understand that you will need to do a lot of measuring and some refitting, which may or may not be worth the aggravation.

Shifter location is a big deal too and getting your pinion and tail shaft angles in phase needs to be addressed, but shouldn't be too terribly tough. Also, you may be able to utilise a set of IMCA Style headers (Check Out Schoenfeld Headers) if you choose to scoot the engine forward. That company's headers made a good starting point for my engine placement and the IMCA's can be had with fixed or adjustable slip on collectors with multiple angles for the slip ons.

If you are going to go off the reservation, you may want to consider going with an LS-3 and T-56 package from Pace Performance. The LS-3 packs a Bigger Horse Power Punch compared just about anything when you compare the physical foot print of the engine and can be had in multiple configurations, even with a front drive distributor and Carburetor for an "Almost Ford Look!"

Just Remember To Measure Twice & Cut Once!

Good Luck, But Modifying Your Car Will Likely Cost You Additional Money & Most Certainly Father Time!

Steve (Call Me Mr. Stone Soup Dark Side Guy) aka >> GoDadGo

[David_Ingermann]

The car is a coupe, but I put this on the roadster forum because this forum gets more publicity. I can't go any further back with then engine and trans, the drive shaft is already just 2 U-joints (no center section). one other thing to note is that i"ve got the new IRS so pitch should be less of an issue.

[Jacob McCrea]

If you proceed, rather than welding a flat plate to the existing engine mounts, I would weld an "L" shaped extension to the front of the existing mounts, such that the mounting "pads" had three pillars. That would be a bit stronger than adding a flat plate. Or call FFR and see if they will sell you a new set of mounts to weld to the chassis. I think that was done by a guy who was rebuilding a coupe after a major crash (welding in a new mount from FFR), but I'm far from certain. The thread chronicling that rebuild is somewhere in the coupe sub-forum.

You might (or might not) be able to cut back the ends/outlets of the FFR headers and fab up some intermediate pipe between them and the side pipes. If not, some "shorty" headers flipped to the opposite sides would be a good place to start. Good luck!

EDIT: This is the thread I mention above. The owner got a whole front frame section from FFR, with the mounts already welded in place. Still, I'd see if they will sell them.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?21551-Project-Lazarus-Bringing-a-Type-65-back-from-the-dead

[Jeff Kleiner]

OK then, you're already as far rearward as you can get with this package. In that case rather than reworking the motor mounts which would result in a cantilever I'd recommend cutting the mount pedestals off of the 4" round tubes and welding them back on in the required location.

Jeff

[Avalanche325]

I agree with Jeff. If you are going to do it, move the entire motor mount pedestal.

The LAST thing I would want to do is move weight forward. These cars NEED rear weight bias. Do you really want another gear bad enough that you are willing to give up handling?