The 283 Rebuild Begins

[jason65]

Looking good Mac.

[joe231]

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

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by joe231

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

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.)



* 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.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by jason65

Looking good Mac.

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

Mac.

[MacAttack]

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.

[joe231]

[MacAttack]

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.

[joe231]

[protrash64]

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!!!

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.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by protrash64

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

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.

[protrash64]

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.

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

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by protrash64

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

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.

[justcuz]

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**!

[MacAttack]

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.

[MacAttack]

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.

[Captainfab]

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

[MacAttack]

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.

[jason65]

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

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by jason65

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

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

[MacAttack]

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

[MacAttack]

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

Mac.

[jason65]

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

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by jason65

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

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.

[TimE]

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?

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by TimE

Instead of spending the extra $$ on Trick Shift, why not just run Type F fluid.

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

#2. Torque converter already loaded with the stuff.

Mac.