Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Channel-Lock motor tower to frame for lay-out (with primer spot) and center punching location of upper holes prior to notching frame.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Notched (passenger side) frame and redrill of top mounting holes. Will use big machine washers (.18 thick) on top of bracket to bolt them to frame.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

NO WIRE HANGERS!!! EVER!!! *

* Except when you’re trying to calculate the distance between your new towers and where they’ll end up on your frame.

Vice-gripped the initial tower location to get forward/backward location, sprayed grey primer through the mount holes, notched and radius’d out the frame, remounted the towers and used them as a drill jig for my clearance holes.

Bought extra thick McMaster-Carr machine set-up washers to cover any sloppy looking holes and trial bolted the hardware to the frame.

The wire hanger routine was to reach around the block - from below - to get the distance between the two motor mount slots. Just a common hanger with the hook cut off - small loops bent at both ends - and then bend the whole thing into a "U" shape, allowing measurement with a tape and a double check against the towers bolted on to the frame.

It’s within a quarter of an inch of being dead-nuts, and that’s plenty close enough for this application.

:chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Before cracking the TH350 case, :waah:

......got the smog tube assembly done - along with the Taylor wires routed through the GM Performance looms, using a 1-inch long set of stand-offs to get them over and away from the exhausts. Over-kill to be sure, but who cares?

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Update on ‘The Tan’s’ Power Train Installation.

The engine & transmission are in the truck. They are not bolted in, however. Wrestled the entire assembly into the C-10, with her rear-end stuck up in the air with my jack-stands fully extended.

Routine until it came time to push the TH350 transmission up on the cross-member and the "Ginnie" shift kit rails interfered with the folded sheet metal lip that hangs down in the transmission tunnel. I was supporting the automatic with a mini-floor-jack and a block of wood at the time and simply removed the right and left hand rails and back the assembly came.

Now we're stuck just forward of the cross-member with the tranny’s foot pad pushing right against it and the engine tower mounts are exactly where I re-drilled and notched the frame rails for.

The GM HEI distributor cap is about one-finger width from the firewall and I really don’t want to mangle the sheet metal there to clear the cap - allowing for timing rotation and engine torque movement.

The drive shaft yoke is only engaged about 1.5" into the tranny’s tail presently.

Here’s what I was thinking my options might be for this bolt-up situation:

1. Purchase a slide brace to secure the TH350’s tail, rather than moving up the cross-member (about $100) and have a longer drive-shaft yoke installed - to make up the difference.

2. Move the present cross-member up about an inch and a half and have a longer drive-shaft yoke installed - to make up the difference.

3. Slot the motor mount towers to allow the entire assembly to slide further back - which would put the HEI right up against the firewall and create a whole new set of clearance problems.

The motor mount towers are exactly where they need to be right now and I’ve got all the bolts sticking through the various upper and lower holes. The lower pads of the towers are just beginning to sick over the back of the truck’s front cross member - so I’d really rather leave the block where she is and deal with the other fit-up problems accordingly.

What do you think guys?

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Looking good Mac.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

You have pics of your problem area?
I'm thinking probably moving your cross member would be easiest....

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Not for a couple of days - on the picture deal. Still haven’t ponied up for a digital. ;)

What’s weird on this thing is that this transmission was already in the truck when I got it - with a 230 straight-six in front of it, so I know where it should be, but the 283’s (V-8) ignition will be mashed right up against the sheet metal if I use up the very nice clearance I’ve got now.

I’m thinking you’re right, Joe. I have to stop by the tranny guy on the way home from work sometime this week to see what he thinks about putting a longer "yoke" on the first universal connected to the driveshaft where it slides into the transmission.

Moving that cross-member is super easy and the engine’s already supported perfectly where it is: I can’t understand how I missed my measurements by nearly an inch and a half.

I’ve already smashed the left ignition wire rack up against the firewall and had to hand-bend the thing forward for clearance. It’s roached and I’ll have to bring it in to the shop to cut off the last station on both the right and left racks to make them fit right now. (Bummer.)

:waah:

* Maybe if I just lower the rear end of the truck back down to the ground it will all just magically fall into place. No? Well - one can dream.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Thanks, Bro - hope I can get it running as good as it looks. :lol:

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:smoke:

Okay - spoke with another mechanical ‘guru’ that reinforced what you said Joe: Leave the motor where it is, because of the "comfortable clearance" to the firewall and the towers working perfectly - and simply move the automatic’s cross member forward.

(Same-same, long time.) ;)

He advised me to talk to HB Transmission (the guy that’s going to adjust everything after the fire off and exhaust system installation), and he can put another (longer) yoke going into the back of the TH350 to make up the engagement distance.

Now the only other foreseeable problem might be the emergency brake assembly and the cables - that also mount on the cross member, but that shouldn’t be anything terrifying.

Onward and upward.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:thumbs:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Stopped by HB Transmission yesterday and the guy told me to just do it and stop being such a ‘Girlie Man’, as they’d deal with it when I brought the rig in for linkage adjustment and new freeway gears in the back.

Corrected driveshaft is going to be the fix and I’m fine with that.

Again - the treads on the end of the emergency brake cables are extra long - at the cross-bar-bracket end, so that issue should be easy to deal with.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:lol:
:thumbs:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Ive still got my roughly 10" long 9/16's drill bit from when I drilled my frame for a tranny mount. I put everything in first , slid the mount into place(hammered is more like it). Then got the driveshaft made for the distance. Safety glasses are highly recommended!!!:lol:

I agree with Joe.....leave the engine where it is. If you have your hood off its easy to get to everything, but once its on its a weird twist and bend to get back there to the dizzy. I like it as far forward as possible.

Did you measure diagonally from the tranny to the motor mount? You would have lost a little distance if so.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Dead on - that’s exactly what I did and where I lost it. Was thinking the exact same method on the drilling routine and we’ve got drills like that at the shop. Weather is closing in and the truck’s outside under a tarp - so it may be a few days. Thanks for the input.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Reading about your install made me remember when I did it afew years back and I remembered my friend and I trying to get a measure for that same thing, only I wanted to know where to put the tranny mount. I think that they are about 12" vertically off and about the same horizontally:lol:.

You'll get it straightened out, its not a big deal. Typical automotive project.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Yeah - I'm sure I will, but what's weird is the 'bent-coat-hanger-measuring-stick' used to gauge where to put the motor mount tower holes and reliefs in the frame were only off about 1/8", and the damn motor fell right in where it should be!

Guess that's the way it goes sometimes. ;)

Mac.:chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

You want the firewall clearance for sure. You should try doing this to a 60-62 with torsion bars...even more of a pain in the a**!

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Yeah - I can imagine - and I’ll take your word for it. ;)

Found a drill for the job at the shop, but it looks like rain until Sunday - and somebody committed my time (love when she does that) so I’ll need to do those duties instead of drilling the frame.

Can’t wait until there’s better weather (and the time change) so I can finish this thing and drive it. I’d put it in the garage, but the Chevelle would end up on the street over night and that’s not going to happen.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Motor's set and bolted in - and the transmission cross member's loose, ready for frame re-drilling.

I'm going to fab a new emergency brake "tongue" to keep the original rig - to tension the cables running to the indicidual rear brakes. Butchering up the rest of the pieces or remounting the original cross pieces for the take-up isn't worth the effort. I'll take the original center piece to the shop and duplicate it in length that's about 1.25 inches longer.

No sence in going nuts with a very simple device, or messing with different cables and such.

Took the two ignition wire looms off and I'll hack off the last station where all four wires go through and that will clear the firewall and still look decent. Didn't get a chance to drill the frame yet - but that will come soon enough, so the tranny's setting on a block of wood and my mini-jack until then.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Cool....little by little you're getting there. Won't be long now till that 283's runnin!

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Yeah - can’t wait, and where that HEI is, I’m glad I got the sucker dialled in - timing wise. Getting the cap off now will take some doing, but I most definitely don’t want to have to pull the distributor again. I’m just happy I’ve still got a finger width clearance between it and the firewall.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Are you takeing pics as you go? Can't wait to see it.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Yeah - old school: Going in to Wal-Mart this afternoon. ;)

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

These shots are about two weeks old - just prior to putting the power train in the truck:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Had to go a bit crazy with the grinder to get the pan to go around the NAPA starter.;)

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Cool. Can't wait till you get it rockin and rollin.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Hope the weather breaks so we can do just that. That cast transmission pan and the tank in the bottom of the new radiator are going to hold a butt-load of B&M ‘Trick Shift’ though, so I better get on the stick and order some more.

;)

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Instead of spending the extra $$ on Trick Shift, why not just run Type F fluid. It is basically the same thing(gives you a firmer shift) and costs considerably less. This was suggested to me by a tranny guy back in the late 80's/early 90's. Transmission fluid is just a detergent.

I ran a th400 behind a 454 for a long time like this, worked great. Anybody else done this before?

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

#1. HB Transmission said so (and it's what we used in the Chevelle).

#2. Torque converter already loaded with the stuff. :lol:

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:thumbs: Sounds like 2 excellent reasons to me!! Looking forward to seeing it all installed.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:mm:

Weather co-operated Saturday, so we got a chance to put the 65’ about three feet up in the air and drill the new hole pattern for TH350’s cross member’s new location - about 1.2" forward. Center drilled punched spots first - then ½ inch bit drilled clearance holes for the new 3/8-16 (grade-8) bolts, washers and nuts - with red ‘loctite’, just for good measure.

(Yes - I’ll have the pics by this weekend, so cork it!)

So all the heavy lifting is done and now comes the plumbing & small wires.

Can’t wait to annoy the neighbors with some new engine noise.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

[quote=MacAttack;3161404]
(Yes - I’ll have the pics by this weekend, so cork it!)




:haha::haha:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Thought I’d beat you’all to the punch. :lol:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Are you implying that we would hound you for pics?

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

"Hound" as in rabid dogs running me (and anyone else) down for photos?

You bet. :lol:

Mac.:chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:haha:

but guess what.....


:wop:
:lol:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

* Gee - who didn’t see that coming? :pty:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:haha:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:haha:

just keeping it exciting and on the top for ya :thumbs: