[yardbird_pro]

i am planing on moving my motor back a few inches, #1 for weight transfer and #2 i dont care for the way the mounts are attached to the frame.
does anyone have any pic of this ??
when i do this should i square the drive-train with the car? i am also working on having a rear end set up for this car.
this is a race only car, on a budget.

.. any input will help .. thanks to all

[FBNRacing]

Your not going to be able to move it back much and still get the trans bolts out. Its a major ***** the way it is. By dropping it down a touch, you maybe be able to, but i think it would lead to other major complications.
Rex

[screamingchief]

I'd have to agree with FBN,I dont think you have much room to move it back any,unless you "move" the firewall back,and then you better be sure to check the rulebooks,as this changes the rules regarding whats required as far as rollbars/roll cages are concerned,among other things.

The same goes for trying to "square" the driveline in the chassis,you'll have to redo (ie.hack-up) the trans tunnel likely,also it'll affect the clearance for things like the trans/flywheel shields,and this modification will also affect the tech requirements much in the same way the firewall mods do.

The drivelines generally are exactly in the center of most cars,for the most part they are offset to the passenger side slightly,to make room for the steering mechanisms.

If you dont like the mounts just use a front and mid plate instead,JMO/FWIW.

Biggest obstacle if you ask me is the d@mn steering gearbox in the way!

[BVR421]

I cant see the point unless you are going to hack the car like my 76 : no cowl, firewall at the edge of the windshield, no stock trans tunnel, stock firewall gone, mustang rack, etc requires hand built headers to clear things that werent there before.
A friend with a 9sec Olds 442 got tired of pulling trans with motor (actually half out then unbolt as it would no longer clear crossmembers the way it was), not to mention wheelstands and moved his motor back to the stock location, He can actually see the trans bolts now and get a wrench on them. alternative is punching access holes thru the firewall. Pontiac distributers are already close to the firewall as is, I dont know how far back you could go with your car. Unless it will be a complete changover to tube chassis I dont see a benefit. If you are thinking traction, it will be there with a well setup chassis/suspension. Consider the wild wheelstands from all the fast cars that run under rules prohibiting engine being moved from stock location.

[yardbird_pro]

WoW !!! LoL.. just a thought,
the thing is, i guess i do need a motor plate.
was thinking that 1 or 2 inches may be a plus..
but thats why i ran it past this forum first! thanks for the replys guys!!

[ventura7211]

Originally Posted by yardbird_pro

WoW !!! LoL.. just a thought,
the thing is, i guess i do need a motor plate.
was thinking that 1 or 2 inches may be a plus..
but thats why i ran it past this forum first! thanks for the replys guys!!

I've actually done this.

If you can work with me as you know I have a ventura, but the subfames are the same, the steering is in a similar location as well as the firewall.

I was able to get close to three inches back from stock location using the stock floor pans and firewall from the stock 350 pontiacs position. The easiest way to do this would be to order an allpontiac.com motor plate instead of trying to use the stock mounts, although I have friends who done this on novas with comp. engineering mounts but they are a different style than a pontiac. I would not worry about a midplate, they are more trouble than they are worth, we've gone 5.20s in the mustang without one at centerville, so if they were an absolute must I'm sure we'd have had problems by now. Not saying they are not a good idea.

Literally the thing that will hold you back is the transmission mount, using the stock mount I was only able to move back an inch or so. The rear end you go with with effect the motor position as using a 9 inch ford without a "centered pinion" you will have to move every thing to the passenger side a little. The only firewall mod I had to make is the same you have to do to make a hei fit, massage the bump behind the distributor.

The distributor and cap you use will also factor into how far back it can go. I'm saving my pennies for a front mount distributor so I can sit the valve covers to the firewall, lol. I would worry about access to the transmission bolts as its easier to pull the motor and tranny as one from these cars and seperate them from outside. (you could place some small access holes to get to them from the inside of the car)

lance

[yardbird_pro]

Hey lance, wut up? a friend that is in to the rs/ss chebys said he moved his rat motor back over 2 inched and that i have more room than he did , another friend chris johnston @ johnston motorsports thinks he can set me up with a 8 3/4 that with a right chassis/suspension setup you can control the wild wheelstands, and 60' like a rocket.

[ventura7211]

Originally Posted by yardbird_pro

Hey lance, wut up? a friend that is in to the rs/ss chebys said he moved his rat motor back over 2 inched and that i have more room than he did , another friend chris johnston @ johnston motorsports thinks he can set me up with a 8 3/4 that with a right chassis/suspension setup you can control the wild wheelstands, and 60' like a rocket.

Yea, you can move a bbc back real easy by using sbc frame stands. They can go back further if you weld a pedestal from the k-member.

The biggest problem with the pontiac is the distributor placement in the block, it will hit before anything else. A mallory unilite is smallest bodied distributor I've ever owned. If you want to go thru alot of trouble, you can move the entire stock firewall back about 2 inches, modify the cowl panel, and no one will be the wiser. I don't think the benifits are worth doing this tho. The easiest thing would be to heat up the metal behind the distributor and work it over with a hammer. You could also add a notch in the firewall that the distributor could fit into.

What chassis/suspension setup are you going with? I never considered the 8 3/4 rear as I figured they would be a little unusual and parts might be harder to find or a narrower selection. Its hard to beat a 9 inch ford when it comes to readily available parts.

lance

[Region Warrior]

The Chevy's fit further forward on 1st gen's then Pontiac's to start with. So it's alot easier moving them back.
A small body distributor will get you about an 1".
Without lowering the engine, the back will be against the wall. A flat oil pan may get you more. Or notch the crossmember.

My opinion would be to get the engine as high as possible, so wieght transfer would be better.

A midplate is great if you need to pull just the engine or the trans by itself.
Both are supported independently. You wont have to support either from underneigh if one is removed.
Another plus is being able to roll the car around
Also, if you end up fast enough, you will already have a sfi flywheel shield.