moving engine forward?

[usarmyoif3]

i have a 72 gmc 4x4 with a 350 and a 350 turbo the frame is something newer not sure what year but the dizzy cap sits right on the firewall and i had to beat it back alittle just to get the cap back on. i was looking and there are 3 holes in the frame where the towers bolt to the frame and they are in the back two i think i can just move the towers and crossmember up to the two front holes and it would give me about 2 inches i will have to trim my fan shroud and cut a new hole for the shifter for the trans case and get the front drive shaft shortened and the rear lengthened is there anything else i am over looking that any of you know about and is there anyone else here that has one of these bodys on a newer frame? have you ran into any promblems? anyone know where i can get numbers decode for frames or the front or rear diff? thanks

[Mechdawg]

I have a 67 C-10 on the original frame and have the same problem but its because I used to have an inline 6 and when I swapped out for the 327 I put it back into the same spot. Wich is the back holes of the 3 you mentioned. Im pretty sure in addition to the items you mentioned having to alter you will also need different towers to mount in the forward location. In my case I altered my fire wall to clear the distributor and in doing so created a removable access panel from the cab.

[mrein3]

A real nifty upgrade for you would be a 700r4 tranny.
Advanced Adapters makes an output shaft for the 700r4 that allows it to mate up with your th350 to np205 t-case adapter.

Now the beauty of this, in addition to .7 to 1 final drive ratio and the approximate 30% savings in gas, is the fact that you can do this mod by leaving the t-case and adapter where they are, bolt on the 700r4, then move your engine forward the 1 and 7/8" inches for the additional length of the 700r4.

To move what you got forward will take drive shaft work in addition to the other mods you already talked about. The 700r4 with the engine moving forward will only take mods to your fan shroud and the moving of your engine mounts.

And you'll use less gas which is a pretty hot topic these days.

[Yukon Jack]

Another thing to keep in mind, moving the engine forward will increase the angle of the front driveshaft. If your truck is lifted, this can present problems.

[usarmyoif3]

the truck isnt lifted but it has 33 12.50 tires and i think someone put 3/4 ton springs in the rear they used it to pull a big camper alot. there are 8 springs in the rear and 3 in the front. do you think that would cause a promblem with the angle of the driveshafts? i dont really care about gas mileage really i just use it to haul stuff its not drove that much. i would really like to have a big block and a granny 4 speed for it someday.

[Longhorn Man]

a 700R4 MIGHT increase MPG...and by 30%...it could happen, but more likely to be 10 - 20%.
Have you tried removing the HEI and rotating it to where it might bit better?
I don't think I'd want to mess with moving the engine forward, you could throw the geomity all off, start spitting out U-joints, the column shifter may well start binding, transfer case shifter might end up hitting the heater box and not able to go in 2-hi....
It would be easier to remove the dist, cut the firewall, and bubble it. (create a recessed area for clearance)

[cdowns]

for all that work i''d just remove the dizzy and spend a half hour with a hammer on the firewall making clearance and reinstall the dizzy // another thought is if it's the large HEI dizzy just get a small cap version HEI for clearance// either way is quicker(less than an hour) and cheaper too

[usarmyoif3]

i am already having alot of promblems with the colomn shifter you have to put alot of force on it just to get it to go into reverse and park i looked at the linkage and dont see anything wrong unless it is binding already. and i really dont want to cut my firewall up i would rather just move the motor up a few inches if it dont work out then i could just cut the firewall if i have to put i want to save that for a last option. and the way it is now i cant take the dizzy out i want to put the alum intake and a holley carb on it the 2 barrel just isnt cutting it...lol

[Longhorn Man]

well, your column us most likely binding inside...they are junk. Upgrade to a tilt.. .either van or truck unit, and you'll never have to fight the shifter again.


If you pop the dist cap off, you should have enough room to remove the whole dist. You only need to pull it up an inch or two and then you can tilt it one way or another.

[junkyardjohn]

Originally Posted by usarmyoif3

. and the way it is now i cant take the dizzy out i want to put the alum intake and a holley carb on it the 2 barrel just isnt cutting it...lol

CAN YOU REMOVE THE DISTRIBUTER IF YOU TAKE THE CAP OFF?? IT'S PRETTY COMMON TO HAVE TO DO THIS WITH THESE OLD TRUCKS. JOHN

[junkyardjohn]

[QUOTE=Longhorn Man]well, your column us most likely binding inside...they are junk. Upgrade to a tilt.. .either van or truck unit, and you'll never have to fight the shifter again.[QUOTE]
I GUESS I MUST JUST BE LUCKY THEN CAUSE OF 17 OF THESE TRUCKS THAT I'VE OWNED OVER THE LAST 21 YEARS I HAVE NEVER HAD A BAD (OR JUNK) NON TILT COLLUMN. THEY ARE ONE OF THE SIMPLEST, MOST UNCOMPLICATED STEERING COLLUMNS I'VE EVER HAD APART. EVERY PART ON THESE VEHICAL REQUIRE SOME MAINTENANCE SOONER OR LATER, OR ELSE THERE WILL BE A FAILURE IN YOUR FUTURE. JOHN

[usarmyoif3]

i havnt tryed to get it out yet by taking the dizzy cap off but the back plug wire was sitting right against the firewall and i dented the firewall alittle so it wouldnt be rubbing it, it had worn a hole in the wire and i like to never got the cap off the way it was. does anyone know what might be binding in the steering coluom? and how do you get the colum apart i started to take it apart cause i though that might be the promblem but i couldnt figure it out i have never had one apart.

[usarmyoif3]

i havnt tryed to get it out yet by taking the dizzy cap off but the back plug wire was sitting right against the firewall and i dented the firewall alittle so it wouldnt be rubbing it, it had worn a hole in the wire and i like to never got the cap off the way it was. does anyone know what might be binding in the steering coluom? and how do you get the colum apart i started to take it apart cause i though that might be the promblem but i couldnt figure it out i have never had one apart.

[Longhorn Man]

When i bought every one of my trucks, they came with sloppy, binding, sticking shifters. On the P/30 trucks we rebuild at work, about 50% of them have the same column, and almost every single one of them has the same issues. We have a guy here that used to turn wrenches for the postal service, and back in the day, they used this same column, and he said they ALWAYS jammed up... he knows them like the back of his hand. We pop the column out of the truck, and he has it done in a couple hrs.