Quick engine position question

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KevinB

KevinB

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My parts car (66 dart) has a 273 in it. I'd like to use that car to set up my 8.8 rear end and weld the perches on. However the engine is decidedly off center, towards the passenger side. There are no headers or manifolds on it currently. Did they come from the factory offset? Or is this some funkiness that someone else created?

Thanks
 
sounds about right to me, bout 1 1/2 to 2 inches off ?

do a quick google images search of your car with your motor and I'm sure you'll see that are all off tilt

as long as the mounts are good (or you plan on reusing them) I wouldn't hesitate to mock it up
 
diymirage said:
sounds about right to me, bout 1 1/2 to 2 inches off ?

do a quick google images search of your car with your motor and I'm sure you'll see that are all off tilt

as long as the mounts are good (or you plan on reusing them) I wouldn't hesitate to mock it up
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Cool thanks! If I can't find any photos, I'll post mine for comparison. In fact I'll probably start a thread since I'll have questions about setting it up anyway.
 
Measure from the hump to the door siles on both sides. When I installed a 8.8 in a 66 Barracuda, I used 2 short Explorer 31 spline axles. The clearances came out great for the tires but not so well on the 2.5 TTI tailpipes over the 3.25 axle tubes. They can work, just very close. It MIGHT not have been needed to narrow the housing but this car used regular backspacing on the wheels 15x7 Anson slotted rims. The 8.8 parts are so much cheaper to buy then a 8.75 or Dana. Summit sales a Ford Racing carrier for 255 unlike a Eaton for a 8.75 at 516 or Auburn for 485.
 
Here 66 273 with correct mounts
 

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The Chrysler has 1 3/16" pinion offset. The 8.8 usually has 1/2". You'll be off by 11/16" if you just weld the perches on. It depends on the rear if you have enough tube on the left side to narrow it properly. If it can be narrowed to fit properly you'll need new axles at least. Compound pinion angles will probably cause harmonics of some sort. On the other hand, using a rear with the pinion in the wrong place is done all the time.
 
bigaxel said:
On the other hand, using a rear with the pinion in the wrong place is done all the time.
Click to expand...

so is the voting by misinformed liberals...and look where that got us

(what I'm trying to say is, just because something is "done all the time" doesn't make it a good idea)
 
Thanks for the info all. I've got some measuring to do then I'll post a new thread about my setup
 
In answer to PM. Used Explorer spring perch and welded center hole to the smaller Mopar spring bolt. Then cut and welded where the shock mount was to correct the angles. Also had the aluminum Explorer driveshaft shortened by about 1/2-1 inch, 4 inch tube and looked great and cost for that was about 120 dollars. By using 2 short Explorer axles, I had the stock long axle cut down to the short size, which also kept any axle twist in the same direction. A new Yukon axle will also cost about the same. Although the pinion was offset, as was the stock rear, it was livable. Both mufflers had to be bent on the corners, like the HiPo mufflers are in the bigger bodies. The owner saw the rear discs and loved them, I would have preferred the rear drums, because of the parking brake cables could have been kept stock. Had custom cables made by Inline Tube using the Ford cable ends. Rear discs added about 300 dollars extra. Had also changed the yoke to a standard style for clearance to the exhaust. Total cost was at 1600 for everything from rebuild to driveshaft. 3.27 gears and stock STYLE Ford Racing carrier.
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/88SS-31.html
 
amx364 said:
In answer to PM. Used Explorer spring perch and welded center hole to the smaller Mopar spring bolt. Then cut and welded where the shock mount was to correct the angles. Also had the aluminum Explorer driveshaft shortened by about 1/2-1 inch, 4 inch tube and looked great and cost for that was about 120 dollars. By using 2 short Explorer axles, I had the stock long axle cut down to the short size, which also kept any axle twist in the same direction. A new Yukon axle will also cost about the same. Although the pinion was offset, as was the stock rear, it was livable. Both mufflers had to be bent on the corners, like the HiPo mufflers are in the bigger bodies. The owner saw the rear discs and loved them, I would have preferred the rear drums, because of the parking brake cables could have been kept stock. Had custom cables made by Inline Tube using the Ford cable ends. Rear discs added about 300 dollars extra. Had also changed the yoke to a standard style for clearance to the exhaust. Total cost was at 1600 for everything from rebuild to driveshaft. 3.27 gears and stock STYLE Ford Racing carrier.
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/88SS-31.html
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I'm curious as to why you welded the spring perch to the leaf spring bolt, and was it temporary? Also am I understanding that you cut the shock mounts off the 8.8 and reused them in a new location? If that's the case, what's under your axle to hold the ubolts tight?
 
Pictures
 

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The engines can sometimes "torque up" with age and sometimes even will break the motor mount and rock around a bit.

It should be level/even with the proper brackets and good mounts on it.
 
krazykuda said:
The engines can sometimes "torque up" with age and sometimes even will break the motor mount and rock around a bit.

It should be level/even with the proper brackets and good mounts on it.
Click to expand...

Here's some shots of how the 273 sits currently, looks angled but hard to tell. There's also some sort of spacer block on the driver side
 

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Close up
 

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I was suspecting that. I guess I'll be buying some new ones before I set up the rear then!
 
Per TTI's instructions: 'Measure from the center of the crankshaft to each frame rail, the
difference should be 1.25 inches"

[ame]http://www.ttiexhaust.com/Category-ClassicHeaders/340-636A/TTi%20636A%20Header%20Installation.pdf[/ame]
 
So the engine currently sits 4" to the passenger side. Looks like new mounts are in my future
 
The early A's needed clearance on the drivers side for the steering. That is also why the drivers side exhaust manifold is such a strange shape.
 
There is also a lot of other business going on on the left side of the car like brakes and clutch or auto trans and kickdown linkage. Every inch of clearance helps.
 
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