Radarsonwheels Posted May 18, 2018 Report Share Posted May 18, 2018 Howdy! I know this will be challenging and there are a lot of ways to skin this cat but I have some questions that hopefully those that have been down this road can help with. I’m putting a low deck 400 block in. I’d like to get it as low as possible and probably set it into the firewall a little bit. I’m keeping my 54 frame- it already has four wheel disc brakes, rebuilt 3/4 ton suspension, a nice aluminum radiator, and a modern rear axle that should live for a while before I have to buy a dana. The steering is loose but it’ll get reworked as part of the swap, along with some seatbelts! So the big question of today is what oil pan would work the best for me? I have a dented rear sump pan (‘78 truck?) I figure I could fabricate a new sump and make a matching oil pickup but it’d be nice if a stocker fit nicely. My block is at the machine shop and the truck still running the flathead so I can’t measure or mock up yet. I’m still collecting parts to finish the longblock and I have a 727 to check over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59bisquik Posted May 19, 2018 Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 (edited) Not sure about the big block, but the tall deck hemi fits fairly good and 54 was the first year of V8, so there is room. The V8 mounts about 4" forward from the L6 and this clears the firewall and column shift of you still have it. Best be it to mock it up and see what you have. Edited May 19, 2018 by 59bisquik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd B Posted May 19, 2018 Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 31 minutes ago, 59bisquik said: Not sure about the big block, but the tall deck hemi fits fairly good and 54 was the first year of V8, so there is room. The V8 mounts about 4" forward from the L6 and this clears the firewall and column shift of you still have it. Best be it to mock it up and see what you have. Awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radarsonwheels Posted May 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 Thanks Bisquick! That is a sweet engine bay! Do you have any pics of how the oil pan sits in relation to the axle and steering linkage? That would be super helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radarsonwheels Posted May 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 Also does your v8 or do the first poly motors still triangulate the mounts with two in the back and one front and center? That’s how my flathead mounts. I suppose all the flatties are like that? I saw a guy with a poly in a 50s dodge at a local cruise but I didn’t notice the motor mounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59bisquik Posted May 19, 2018 Report Share Posted May 19, 2018 (edited) It is a front sump pan to clear the axle. I had a 270 poly laying around and swapped pans with it. As for the mounts, yes the rear uses a stock V8 bell housing and bolts to the cross member on either side. As a note, the crossmember needs to be unbolted and moved to the forward position for the V8. This engine can use the front triangulated mount like the flat head, but I could not find the stock mount. You won't find too many stock V8 trucks out there to pick parts from. My block was one of the first years with ears on the side for mounts. I got a set of 60's LA mounts off Ebay and with a little work, they fit these ears. I then used late 60's Challenger engine mounts and some home made brackets to fit it all together. It sits low in the bay and I figured the height off of the fan in relationship to the radiator to make sure they were parallel. One thing worth noting is the radiator for the V8 mounts 3 inches forward of the L6. If you look at the pic, you will notice the core support is notched for it. Edited May 19, 2018 by 59bisquik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radarsonwheels Posted May 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2018 Nice pics! Thanks for the response Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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