The engine location question framed in terms of relationship to steering shaft reminded me of what I learned early in my A-Body days about fine tuning the fit. The slotted K-frame pads for the motor mounts allow a significant amount of latitude for adjusting clearances around the engine. My 65 A/Sedan SCCA Barracuda race car (street converted) was a nightmare on the driver's side with 60's vintage Doug Thorley underchassis headers that were assembled as slip-fit upper primary tubes into the bottom tubes from the collector. In those days there were no mini-starters available. The steering column tube had been shortened to end at the cowl and the slip joint above the steering box had been eliminated with a slim spline collar. Even then and with solid motor mounts mimicking the rubber, the engine needed to be carefully adjusted at the K-member slots to gain that 1/8". That lesson helped soon after when I started using 68-70 340 exhaust manifolds. I'm also a veteran of Spitfire header use and they were a great niche solution to the manifold dilemma. Now I'm back to using 340 manifolds and the very high quality TTI's. I've looked at the latest Thorley headers with interest too. Taking advantage of mounting point adjustability is still key.
