Engine | Welder Series Inc.

’32 Update: Engine Installation (article 5, archived)

Here is article 5 of the ’32 Build, originally published June 6/07.

Look what came in the mail – our engine!

small block chevy
It looks a little wrecked, but that’s because we couldn’t wait to open it before taking pictures! I threw the sides together for the photo.

This one’s not plastic
small block chevy
It’s a Chevy ZZ4 crate engine from Apple Chevrolet. 350 c.i., 355hp, 405 ft/lbs, aluminum heads & intake, angle plugs, etc. The first thing we’ll be doing is replacing the long water pump.

We thought we had a small block short water pump lying around somewhere, so when we found this one and it didn’t fit, we were a bit miffed. “What’s with this stupid ZZ4 and its crazy water pump?!” Fear not, all you need to know is a Big Block water pump will not fit on a Small Block. The BB WP is wider.

short water pump
long water pump
overlapped picture
Are you seeing things? It’s not your eyes, it’s my attempt at overlapping two pictures that were supposed to be taken without the camera moving. Here you can see the difference between the two water pumps, after we found the right one. The difference in real life is
1-3/8″ on a small block.

mounting the engine
Paul wasn’t available when I was putting the engine in, so I had to use the forklift. Notice the stock-looking ribs on the firewall. You can also see the windshield frame- it’s part of the body, and could be airbrushed to appear chromed. The 1×2 under the crank bolts is a temporary way of holding the engine in its approximate location until we get the two jacks under there. The jacks will make it much easier to level the motor, and to raise/lower it without having to find the right size shim.

’32 Update: Motor Mount & Trans. Mount Install (article 6, archived)

Here we see Mr. Horton attaching the 700r4 bracket to the insulator, which is bolted to the transmission. He’s not holding the engine up in this picture- we got a handy transmission jack to do that job. You’ll want to get everything mocked up where you want it, so that you attach the bracket to the center section at the correct angle for your car.
Parts shown:
Transmission mount: WS70013, Welder Series (after welding)
Motor mount kit: C005, Welder Series

Center the tailstock in the frame, and set it up about 1/4″ high; the insulator will settle a bit. Everything is tacked in place now.

Do you think this is level enough? We used two hydraulic jacks, one under each motor mount, to level the motor side-to-side. A lot of people say to make sure that the motor is level front-to-back, or it won’t run right. What, no one with a hot rod has ever driven through the Appalachians?? It’s not a crucial measurement. It’s more important to have the engine and pinion at the same angle. See Street Rodder’s driveshaft angle setup and Inland Empire Driveline’s power train setup guide for excellent information on this topic.

Here I’m giving the top plate a little pre-bend so it will clear the rubber lip on the insulator. They come with a tiny laser-cut slit across almost the whole plate that makes it really easy to bend, and yet it keeps its shape.

This is the ridge I was talking about.

Continue reading “’32 Update: Motor Mount & Trans. Mount Install (article 6, archived)” »

’32 Update: Dipstick Bracket (article 47)

We had a Lokar firewall mounted transmission fluid dipstick from a long time ago, but since there’s nothing else mounted on the firewall I decided to mount it low.

Starting with two stainless dished washers, I hammered them flat and welded them together around the perimeter. This made them about the same thickness as the bracket I wanted to pillage and use for its 3/8″ hole.

This is the bracket I started out with.

I trimmed the slot off and merged the washers with the 90 degree bracket.

It sits pretty much in line with the engine dipstick now…

I finished the front spreader bar the same way as the rear to mount the license plate.

’32 Update: body bolts, motor mounted. (article 39)

body mounting bolts

We thought for a while, drew our thoughts on the blackboard, and finally came up with a much simpler edition. Since the floor of the Bear Fiberglass body is so thick (almost 2″), and it is composed of two layers of fiberglass sandwiching a sort of foam material, it can be ‘squished’, for lack of a better word. Imagine standing on a pop can. Or you can stand on a soda can. Either way, unless you’re reading this blog from the comfort of the womb, you will probably collapse the walls of the can. Imagine now that you drop a steel tube inside, just shorter than the height of the can. The walls will collapse just a tiny bit, but then the strength of the tube will hold your weight. Probably.

Same idea here. We’re putting a tube spacer inside the floor so that when the bolts get tightened, they will cinch the body down but won’t be able to overtighten and crush the fiberglass.

rear end fluid

This is one of the only pictures you’ll see of me working on the car… and it happens to be the easiest job other than cleaning.

engine install 01

Time to install the engine! Here, the transmission mount is swung (my computer didn’t put a red line under “swung”, so I guess it’s a word) out of the way, waiting for the transmission.

Great! Fits just like it did the first time!

sneak peek

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’32 Update: Engine Installation (article 5, archived)

’32 Update: Motor Mount & Trans. Mount Install (article 6, archived)

’32 Update: Dipstick Bracket (article 47)

’32 Update: body bolts, motor mounted. (article 39)

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