The excitement is building

[RPM]

One of the other things that drew me to Spirit, was that they use 2" X 3" X 3/16" steel for the frames, where all the others use 1/8" thickness. . . and some use, or used to use, only 1 1/2 X 3 X 1/8

I figured the heavier frame material could be a plus if I went with some big HP at some point.

This not true we use 3/16" wall in all of our frames, have never used 1/8". In blower cars with big HP we have even used 1/4" wall steel.

 

[2old2fast]

Yep , you need to add a couple THOUSAND lbs of load capacity so you'll be safe carrying one HUNDRED more lbs of of engine , totally unnecessary, and if you're worried about torque , the way to compensate for that is with design/ shape , not thickness ......

 

[Island Girl]

This not true we use 3/16" wall in all of our frames, have never used 1/8". In blower cars with big HP we have even used 1/4" wall steel.

Did you miss my post 2 posts back where I agreed with 409T that "all" was a poor choice of words, and that "some" would have been more accurate, and that I used "all" as in reference to those suppliers I was looking at purchasing from but didn't adequately convey that.

Wasn't trying to ruffle feathers or mislead anyone . . . .

Darlene

 

[old round fart]

Are the money for mounts for small and big blocks the same?

 

[Island Girl]

Are the money for mounts for small and big blocks the same?

If you mean do they cost about the same for SB or BB. . . .

pretty much so, as long as you're comparing within the same brand and series.

You can get vanilla NAPA mounts for less than $10, or high end poly mounts for many times that.

The big inch BBC's take a different mount that sits the motor up a little higher to clear the extra width of the oil pan and they are about $35 each on summit, while the basic ones to put a BBC in a T are less than $10, about the same as for a SB.

 

[old round fart]

I was wondering if the 632 will fit the mounts on your Spirit frame set up for the small block.

 

[Island Girl]

I was wondering if the 632 will fit the mounts on your Spirit frame set up for the small block.

I have the frame ordered for a BBC, since the original plan is/was to snatch the 454 out of the jacked up 4X4 truck.

The big inch crate motors are tall deck blocks, which makes them a weee bit wider, but that should offer no fitment issues for the T.

In actuality, the placing of the frame mounts is the same for SBC and BBC, the position of the holes on the 2 blocks that the block mount bolts to, places the rear bell housing mounting surface of both blocks at the same place.

SB mounts are usually a little higher to account for the slightly narrower block

Since the BBC is longer than the SB, Spirit makes their BB frames a couple inches longer ahead of the engine mounts to maintain sufficient fan and accessory clearance..

 

[old round fart]

I remember you were going bbc now. Brain fade is a bummer! Lol

 

[Island Girl]

No problem . . .

Imagine being senior, female, and blond . . .

Sometimes I long for the days when my mom used a safety pin to keep my mittens attached to my coat sleeve so I couldn't loose them . . .

 

[old round fart]

I hear you! I have 3 years on you and it doesn’t get much better! You have three strikes but you are still in the game so you’re in great shape.

 

[Island Girl]

A little update . . . .

I still have a couple weeks of vacation time I have to use or loose, and while I was hoping I could get both weeks once my kit gets here, I can see where I'll be lucky if I can get just one.

So I have this week off, with only a couple things I need to get taken care of outside of forging ahead with getting ready for my kit to arrive. . . . To that end, I moved the big 4X4 next to the porch where the parts washer and compressor can plug in and makes for the easiest place to crawl under it to get stuff disconnected.

Having to wrench on big heavy truck stuff isn't my idea of fun, but if it's what it takes to have a motor ready for the T, then, "challenge accepted".

I can't believe how incredibly close the clearance is between the 4X4's tires and the crane's lower frame portion, less than an inch per side . . . but it does fit, so I'm good to go with my setup to pull the engine:

The crane's I beam telescopes about 4 feet, so I'll have to crank it up a bit to clear the engine over the front clip, as it's all the way down in the pics.

 

[Spanky]

As I recall you already have a transmission for your bucket, so at least pulling the engine may be a little easier than the engine and tranny together, although getting the engine separated from the tranny in the truck can be a pain! Wishing you good luck and no skinned knuckles!


(Helping my brother-in-law swap a SB Chevy into his FJ40 Land Cruiser back in the 70's - in the parking lot of his apartment!)

 

[Gary49]

It looks like you have things sorted out pretty well. Good luck with your build. Building was fun for me. After I finished building mine I had withdrawals wanting something to do. After I got my title and plates that disappeared. LOL

 

[Island Girl]

The truck has an SM465 trans, which weighs 174 pounds according to the specs, so I'll put the trans jack under it and leave it attached to the transfer case while I try to pull the engine forward and out. Will try just separating the trans from the bell housing and hope the trans input shaft will slide out of the clutch.

If I take the fan and water pump, and all the accessories and drives off the front of the motor, and pull the radiator out . . . . I should have sufficient room to slide the block forward off the trans.

Will keep you posted on the progress . . . . sometimes things don't quite go as anticipated . . .

 

[DonnyRay]

Yo ! Island Girl , where did you purchase your gantry ? I am very interested in purchasing one for my t bucket project.

 

[old round fart]

It may be easier to pull the front clip off first. Those high tricks are a pain to work over the fenders. You may be able too get in the engine bay but I can’t!

 

[2old2fast]

The truck has an SM465 trans, which weighs 174 pounds according to the specs, so I'll put the trans jack under it and leave it attached to the transfer case while I try to pull the engine forward and out. Will try just separating the trans from the bell housing and hope the trans input shaft will slide out of the clutch.

If I take the fan and water pump, and all the accessories and drives off the front of the motor, and pull the radiator out . . . . I should have sufficient room to slide the block forward off the trans.

Will keep you posted on the progress . . . . sometimes things don't quite go as anticipated . . .

Put a jack under the bell housing , leave it in the chassis , a sawzall will make quick work of the radiator support....

 

[2old2fast]

BTW ,if you want to be able to roll that gantry you better get some 2x6's or so under the casters

 

[iajjpop]

You are doing a good job,keep at it ,be careful you don t get hurt . Lt takes time ,but you will get done.

 

[JJK]

You could borrow a pair of wheels & tires off the Nissan PU and bolt them on the front of the K10 donor while you are lifting the engine out, to lose some of that altitude. (or just remove the fronts and set it on the ground on its brake rotors)