I just put the big block in the car tonight. Not a fun task but it's in. Unfortunately, I was only able to drop it in with the driver side headers in place... a so much for the ceramic coating! It's not exactly prestine any more.

I'm going to have to wrestle with the passenger side header to get it in. Doesn't look fun because it's likely I'll have to take the Lakewood bellhousing off to do so. That thing has about 25 bolts around it! Oh well, life goes on. Project QWKTRIP is getting close to complete!

 

Hooker headers? You'll need to lift the engine again to get it in. The slip tube needs to be put in also before letting the engine down. You'll never get it in any other way. I had to pull my deep oil pan off to get the passenger side in. It wouldn't rotate enough to go under the pan.

When I pulled my engine back out a few weeks later to fix a leaking rear main seal, I dropped it back in with both headers in place. Still a little tricky but much easier. Use some bungy straps to hold the headers out of the way.

Hopefully my engine should be back together (again) within a couple of weeks. Pulling and reinstalling is becoming very easy now. At least it's a race car with very little in the engine compartment to get in the way. I can pull the engine and have it sitting on a stand in 2 hours now.

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Follow my racing progress on Stephen's racing page
and check out the race car

87 IROC-Z SuperPro ET Bracket Race Car
461 naturally aspirated Big Block

Best ET on a time slip: 11.242 altitude corrected to 10.69
Best MPH on a time slip: 121.52 altitude corrected to 127.76
Altitude corrected rear wheel HP based on power to weight ratio: 504.5
Best 60 foot: 1.546

Racing at 3500 feet elevation but most race days it's over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley

 

I it today with the engine in place. I had to remove my bellhousing to do it though. I just rotated the rear of the motor as high as it would go while still attached to the motor mounts and I was able to slip it in. I have a Moroso extended pan too. I do see the problem with the slip tube though. But it's too late... DOH!!!

I'm just not having the interference problems that most people report. The HEI clears the firewall, the headers clear the suspension, the tall valve covers fit with plenty of room.... guess I'm just lucky. I will move the brake lines for reasons of safety. The issue of full exhaust is still driving me nuts though. It can be done but the mufflers are going to hang awefully low. It looks like I'll have to clearance the rear foot area to accept mufflers.

 

QwkTrip what motor mounts did you use?
I'm gonna be in the same boat in a few months...working on chassis first..

 

I just put in a new set of GM motor mounts for the V8 cars. Since then I've thought that I may want to limit movement of the engine by using solid motor mounts. We'll see... I'm not going to change it unless I need to.

 

I went to solid mounts since mine is a race car but when I see how little clearance there is with the headers, I can't see how they won't hit anything when using regular mounts and the engine torques over. That #2 cylinder slip-in pipe runs right along the frame with little to no clearance.

At least on my car...

 

Did you make the motor mounts, but them complete, or rip the stock ones apart and reweld them back together with solid bushings? If you bought them where did you get them from?

 

Summit sells Moroso solid motor mounts.
Whats the deal w/ solid mounts??
Everyone tells me dont bother with em...
So I was gonna get possibly Lakewood muscle mounts and torque strap it.?
I'm gonna drive around the street ALOT...what way would you guys go?

[This message has been edited by Camaroman (edited May 26, 2001).]

 

If you do any street driving then solid mounts are not suggested. They cause the car to feel every little vibration from the engine. Go with some poly mounts.

Solid mounts eliminate all movement. Whenever something moves that's not supposed to, it's lost energy that can be used elsewhere.

 

I just reused the 305 mounts. Nothing makes any contact when the engine torques over........but it's all moot now, the motor has a knock. Time to yank it again!

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85 Berlinetta Iroc exterior NOW 454 powered, 4.10 gears, 275/60/15 Hoosier Quicktimes and a PILE of other goodies..........YES, it's street driven!

check it out at http://www.bsronline.net/members/rob/rob_specs.html

 

One more question on my mind...
do any of you guys have the oil pan p/n you used? whether it be moroso or whoever.

 

I used a stock 5 quart passenger car oil pan. Clears everything nice and easy.

 

Any "Chevelle" type pan will work. I used a Moroso deep pan. Just don't get one that has the kick outs on the bottom for more oil. The headers won't clear. Also truck pans won't work since the bottom of the pan extends forward for more oil capacity and won't clear the crossmember.

I also found that the Felpro one piece reusable pan gasket is well worth the money.

 

I used the stock V8 mounts when I did the swap. I clearanced a bunch of stuff (see the list on my page) for the headers. Like stephen 87 said, don't use solid mounts unless it's a race car.

I used a '70 and newer OR a '70 and older (sorry I don't remember which) oil pan. It is the single step pan that fits.

Stephen - Rob , what gives??? Already yanking the motors?

Miles

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88 427 Camaro
12.18 @ 113mph 1.75 60ft
Currently installing 3.73's into my 9 bolt (YES,it is a 9 bolt & YES they are 3.73's, not 3.70. 4.11's to follow soon )
www.koolmeister.com

 

Don't do that, clearance under the rear seats...no joke. Car-Pro does it that way, and it seems to work. They will tell you they "Modify the floorpan", but what they basicly do is slam on it with a 3lb mini sledge untill theres enough room. Getting the rear seats back in has never been a problem.

How lucky have you guys been with your big blocks and emissions? Also, how much did you guys spend on the rebuilds and conversion peices to do it?

 

If you clearance under the rear seats (which is what I am doing now with the sledge hammer), you should cut out some of the foam from under the seat so it sets back down.

Emissions - don't have to anymore
Money - It all depends, but I've probably got $6-7k into the motor and tranny and accessories (msd, radiator, headers etc...)

Miles

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88 427 Camaro
12.18 @ 113mph 1.75 60ft
Currently installing 3.73's into my 9 bolt (YES,it is a 9 bolt & YES they are 3.73's, not 3.70. 4.11's to follow soon )
www.koolmeister.com

 

Emissions.... what's that?

I've got about $20K of mods in the car with $8K of that into the motor.

 

No emission laws on a race car that gets about 4 MPG anyway. Total value of my race car now is around $20,000. I built the big block over the winter for about $8,000 but that included everything to put it into the car. Headers, gaskets, motor mounts, bolts, everything.

 

unfortunantly yeah, got to pull it. Goddamn mild rod knock. No emissions concerns here. I think for the motor rebuild and to put it in the car I'm looking atabout $4000 CDN. Then again, using manifolds, keeping my single 3" exhaust and using an old copper/brass 3-core rad out of a taxi really helped me save alot of money. Yes the stock 3- core does work if you keep moving. Stuck in traffic it will hit 200-210, but will go down once you get moving.

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85 Berlinetta Iroc exterior NOW 454 powered, 4.10 gears, 275/60/15 Hoosier Quicktimes and a PILE of other goodies..........YES, it's street driven!

check it out at http://www.bsronline.net/members/rob/rob_specs.html

 

Hmmm.... put the tranny up tonight and I have a few minor clearance problems and one major problem. The major one is the number 4 exhuast tube on the passenger side. It runs into the firewall. I'll have to ding the tube or ding the firewall, I haven't decided which. The other problems are just minor sheetmetal trim pieces under the car. A grinder will zip those away in no time flat. Pretty annoying though... there's plenty of room to avoid those issues. I'm starting to think hard about the Sanderson headers but I'm uneasy about them saying they won't fit. Who's going to buy them first?

 

I called Sanderson and asked them about headers for a 3rd gen BB...
They told me they didnt have anything...
One of my friends said to call a guy named Ed Quay..610-326-8050 or 610-323-9560
Said to be an Fbody guy....he may make them or can make them for us....
Or back to good old Hooker

 

Camaroman,

I would most certainly be interested in a set of headers that fit. I'm going to call that guy and see what he says. I appreciate the info. It might be helpful if a couple of us call just to reinforce that there is a market here (although very small).

Let's see if we can all agree on a header style for him to make. My interest would be to have a set of 2" primary headers either shorty or long tube that place the collectors by the tranny. It might be easiest to have shortys. My car is an overpowered street car and I personally don't care if I lose some Hp because of shorty headers. If my dreams were to come true I would like them to terminate in the same location as the Hooker full length small block headers so I could bolt on the Mufflex 3" Y-pipe and out back to their 4" exhuast system.

 

When Hooker first started designing the big block supercomp headers, they used 2" primaries. There just wasn't enough room for those big tubes so they went with 1 7/8" instead.

You could always buy a kit and make your own.

 

Yes, I can see how that would be tough to do. 1-7/8 is fine with me. With my supercharger it simply won't make that much difference.