3" forward mounts & Truck pan?

[Leonard1]

Hey guys, need a little help with my swap. I am trying to use the motor mount plates that move the ls motor 3" forward in the frame so that the driveshaft and ac compressor will work without modification. The problem I have is that the truck oil pan "bumps" the back of the crossmember before the motor mounts line up with the towers. How have others made this config. work? BTW, I'm using the original sb towers. The way I see it, I've got three options: trim the crossmember about 1"; shorten the driveshaft; or get a different oil pan. Thanks, and I appreciate any insight you guys might have!

[68GMCCustom]

You might check the first half of my build...link in my sig. I started out with ECE mounts that seemed to place the motor about 3" forward...then changed to TransDapt adapter "plates" with SBC towers and the associated motor mount.

BTW....not sure I'd let a driveshaft dictate my build. Its not that hard to get one cut or order a new one.

[Leonard1]

Thanks for the feedback, actually I had already read your thread when I was contemplating this swap. I think you used the plates that move the engine 1-1/4" forward. Plate #2 in this link: http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...ocations-3.jpg I'm trying to use plate #3, which moves it 3" forward.

[BR3W CITY]

The truck pan is too bulky and low if tour going to run a significant drop, mine Hung like 3" past the crossmember, so I switched to the lh8 pan.
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[Leonard1]

Thanks for the help, if I remember correctly, you have a '66? This is on a 69, and right now the pan hangs down a little over 1" below the crossmember. I'm not *too* concerned about that, as I plan on leaving the truck at the stock ride height. I've got about 12" ground clearance as it sits. I also noticed that the pan is real close to my steering rod in the front, like maybe 1/4" clearance.
I'm wondering what pan these guys are using that have the #3 motor plates I linked to in my initial post. No way they are using the truck pan.

[nlped]

I had the 3" forward plates on the CPP tubular stands, and my pan hit the crossmember like a champ. So much so that the transmission was 3-4" off the trans crossmember...I knew that wasn't gonna work. I ended up moving the whole thing back about 2 1/2" with a custom set of adapter plates. My pan now fits like a champ (although I'm changing to the CTSV pan) and the factory a/c compressor bracket still bolts onto the block, but since I'll be using a Vintage Air, or something like it, I can't use the o.e. variable compressor

[Wasted Income]

FWIW, I will never run a truck pan again....lucky it ONLY cracked it, and didn't shatter when it bottomed it out hard on my air-ride 69 C-10.

3" forward seems pretty extreme. You might need to get creative and do some cutting and welding...on any pan you use.

I had to cut and box the crossmember on another swap project I did (G-body, not a truck). No biggie. Can you post pics of how much it interferes?

[Custom 68]

Yes I too would suggest saving for a Camaro pan. Mine was way low I swapped it before I had any problems. My plan was to get my motor as low and as far back as possible.

[Leonard1]

I would have thought that plate #3 would be pretty common. I would have to cut a full inch out of the crossmember. Basically the pinch weld all the way across the back. Here's a pic of what I have. I have the plate mounted to the block upside down in this pic, but as you can see, the motor needs to move forward about 7/8" to line up with the bolt hole in the motor mount:

You can also see the oil pan almost in contact with the crossmember. I also made a template of the camaro pan and the caddy pan, and I don't think either of them are going to make this possible. I guess I'll just have to live with what I've got.