LUVTruck.com

okay. with the upcoming swap going to take place i though that id start a thread for talking about all the parts and stuff that im goin to be usin.

to start off, motor mounts.

now ive made 2 different types of mounts for the v8 swap.

the first set bolted to the stock 4 cylinder frame mounts and used a clamshell type block mount. these worked but set the motor up really high in the engine bay, the bolts came loose all the time, and didnt hold the motor very well. there were also exhaust clearance problems with these ones too. as you can see in the picture, the block mount comes in contact with the header. we had to put the header on the motor first and then the block mount for it to work. they looked like this...


the second design was though up by lee. they worked very well too. we took the old clamshell mount, and cut it up so that all we had was a piece that bolted to the motor. then we used some 1x1x1/8in square tubing lengths that were about 7 1/2 inches long and that had a 45* cut on one end. the lengths were welded to the clamshell piece and then welded to the frame. they worked great, and removal and instalation of the motor was easy. they looked like this...

this is what they looked like in a truck with the motor...

with this style we never had any exhaust cleance problems. they were totally forward of the blockhugger headers.

now for the motor mounts on my truck.

im wanting to go with something different this time that will make it easy to take the engine in and out. also im lookin for somethin thats going to be easy to build and strong. after lookin on summit for a while i found these universal mounts that really caught my eye.

these would make things really simple in the mount department. all i would need to is make tabs off the frame that would mate with the mounts. then i would just bolt the motor down. the only thing i could see being a problem is the exhaust. a blockhugger might cause some problems.

so those are more than likely what im going to use. and it helps that theyre only 17bux too.

for the tranny mount, im going to basically copy what hotrod80 did with his. just add on and reinforce the stock mount.

now on to the exhaust.

im gonna be getting a set of summit block huggers. the $90 ones. theyre 1 5/8 primaries with a 2 1/2 collector.
since im going to have a welder handy during the swap, im going to build my own head pipes off the headers. speedway motors sells a headpipe kit that comes with pipes that have a mandrel bent 90* and have about a foot and a half of extra pipe. they appeal to the street rod guys, but they should work great in my situation.
im still not sure on what im going to do for the rest of the exhaust though. if i can find a pair of flowmasters for cheap ill do that, but i think itll stay cheap with a set of glasspacks that ezekiel duck might still have.
i do know that the exhaust is only going to go to about the end of the cab. i want to keep it simple.

on to the engine.

its going to be a 4 bolt main 350 block thats .030 over. im pretty sure that the crank is going to be a stock cast 3.48 stroke. the pistons will be flattops, and will have 5.7 rods. the block is going to be hottanked and new cam bearings and freeze plugs are gonna be put in. i want to run a split duration cam in this but im liking the looks of the isky 280 mega. is the 280duration .485 lift cam with a 106* LSA. its advertized to have a 2500-6800 rpm powerband, which i think will work well with the heads ill be using the 2500 stall and the 410 gears.
im going to buying a set of 1968 327 fuelie heads for i this also. theyll get some herdend sets for the exhaust side and some new valves. im still not positive on the valves size, but im assuming that theyre at least 194/150s. so the 64cc chamber and the flattops should give me around 9.5:1 compression. it should still run well on regular with the timing set right.
for the intake, im going with and older edelbrock victor junior. its a very low rise since plain intake thats at my local speed shop.
for a carb, im going to be getting a carter edelbrock wannabe 600cfm carb off the schools racecar. i just rebuilt it at the begining of last season, so its good to go.
im still undecided on what im going to do for ignition. id like to to with a points dsitributor with a electronic conversion in it. then i could still use an external coil along with all the MSD equipment already wired into the truck. then i wouldnt have to redo any wiring. just hook everything up and shes ready to rumble. the points style distributor will also save me some space too. i already have a lead for a points disrtibutor too.
fuel is going to be supplied to the engine by a holley blue or black of somethin electric pump that im getting from lee. we used it on his 78 and it worked goood. the gastank will also be relocated to the back of the bed. i wanted to recess it into the bed floor too. then ill make the main feed line now into a return line, and run 1/2in lines as new feed lines.

for the tranny,

im goin with the old tride and true TH350 with a mild shift kit and a 2500 stall. to go with the stall, a huge tranny cooler, and possibly a tranny temp guage in the cab. id also like to find a way to make my tranny lines braided steel lines. ive heard horror storys of putting AN fittings in the cases and the cases cracking. so i want to stay away from the AN fitting being in the tranny. i was thinking of using short lengths of hardline right off the tranny, and then adapt an AN fitting to that. it would them make for easy access to hookup and disconnect. then a big tranny cooler. im thinkin about puttin it in the bed next to the gastank that will also be in the bed. maybe with a fan on it also. i do not want to burn up trannies in this thing. my main goal with this whole truck is to keep the tranny as cool as possible. im also goin to use a hurst quarter stick in it.

now to the driveline and rearend.

im going to be using a stock luv automatic driveline with a welded stock rear. now i know some of you are going to chime in and tell me to go with a s10 rear and stuff like that. im stayin witgh the stock rear because its in the truck already, and i know what it takes to blow one. ive done it before. that and roadshowbob i think still has a stock auto driveline for sale.

im also going to be staying with my leaf springs. since the gastank will be in the bed, i will have room for my 2 link ladderbar setup. this is the idea...

the bars will be inside the frame rails. theyll then be mounted to the axle with another set of spring pads and u-bolts. id like to add a panhard/cross bar to the links to keep any side to side movents to a minimum.

the cooling...

is still one of those things that i havnt come to a complete conclusion to. the stock pup radiator is about x2 the size of a stock luv radiator, but the inlet and outlets are wrong. that and it probably wont cool very well. another solution might be the mercury sable 2 row plastic and aluminum radiator i have. i had this in my buick v6 datsun and it cooled it well with the ford electric fan that was on it. its also the right size and the bottom inlet is on the correct side. so it might end up in the truck with a big electric fan on it.

this is pretty much the build writeup. there still other things that i didnt cover, but thats what the thread is about. discussion!

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"but its that gut feeling of you're drawn to what feels right for yourself and what you're passionate about..."

Don't worry about the cross link on your suspension as there is not much movement side to side (it's the same as i am running on my truck). On your trans idea i would run the cooler up front even if you have to lay it flat so it will get moving air and i know they aren't cheep but i would suggest a deep alum. pan as it helps cool and girdles the trans.I run the springs and ladder bars with sliders,50/50 shocks,and the overload removed,all parts were Art Morrison I also relocated the rear spring mount in to the frame.Got pic's if you like

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1978 pro street step/side 455Buick, 4sp,4.11s, 31/18.5s

Farmer, I haven't had any problems with AN style fittings to trannys before, I've had dozen maybe I've just been lucky. You can get a hydraulic line made up with the ends to fit directly to the tranny with no adapter fittings and have the end to the tranny cooler with no adapter also. Last set I bought was around $65.00, though. Also, the 1.94 valve size for your head should be plenty for your combo. Good thread.

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

I have a couple of those mounts in chrome if you want them for 20 bucks and shipping.

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Too much to do and not enough time or money!
Courage is the other side of fear!
Pain is the weakness leaving the body!

Are you sure you want to go with solid mounts? These are my home made mount set up. It works great, clears everything. Basically a 3/8 peice of steel welded to the stock LUV motor mount tower and a 75ish motor mount from a GM 6 cyl truck bolted on the block and it has a threaded hole that mates to a drilled hole in the flat steal. I posted the pic's because I thought it was a cheap easy and right way to do it. Engine removal is easy, just 1 bolt on each side with a impact and you are done.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

When you mate the trans to the motor bend tranny lines to around the starter/pan rail and put brass unions in them . You can take the unions loose if you ever have to pull the tranny . That's a tight spot up in there and hard to get a wrench at the right angle .

i am with T.J . white on the crosslink , you won't need it with you factory leafs.

luvrv8 's motor mounts look like 67-72 sbc truck mounts . I used 68 camaro and fabbed a Hooker style mount . If you use the single bolt style go to the hardware store and get longer bolts a big washer and double nut it between the three block mount bolts . This will keep the motor from rolling if you tear a mount.

And you rolled your eyes at me awhile back when i called you the V8 luv master. Just one season of bracket racing and your going V8.

the motor combo is tried and true 280/480 will work good , I like split duration . Jets are easy to change on the edelbrock/carter. Th350 will take a pounding . Stock luv rear is stronger than an S-10 rear IMHO.

Sorry for the long reply , but I knew it would not be long and I will enjoy following this build along . Thanks and keep us posted

[quote="hotrod80"]

luvrv8 's motor mounts look like 67-72 sbc truck mounts .

Like I said, 75ish 6 cyl Chevy truck. I just bought them from NAPA and had them do a search on what they fit.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

Farmer:

I will tell you that you do NOT want to solid mount that motor in that fashion.
Especially if you decide to drive it on the street.
The way it was approached on the old 80 I had, VIBRATION killed the exhaust system.
You kept blowing out gaskets because you had no flexibility to the powertrain.
Thus, something had to give, and the weakest point was the mating surfaces ....thus the gaskets...at least this is 1 issue of many surrounding that idea.
If you look at those yellow cad plated mounts, they are designed to use or at least provide the opportunity to place a rubber vibration mount in line with your mounting choice.
That in effect will be half your battle to breaking mounts, and affected parts surrounding your transplant.
Now, some may not have the same issues I suggest...so
I ask you to REALLY explore your driveline angles prior to actually running what ya made...
this too may assist in MAJOR harmonics issues in direct relations to the whole drive line, and all parts attacthed!

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72 L.U.V.
427 SBC-700R4
SE 9-3/8 4P TracLoc, 6-lug rear discs,
custom rear leafs, custom made aluminum radiator,
Mustang II front suspension
LUV perf parts manufacturing
My Devotion to Karl :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmXc4F78 ... re=related

okay on the motor mounts, RPO makes a good point on the solid mounts. the 80 did go though gaskets like a sumbitch. so i think ill use the same mount, but with a rubber pad between that and the frame mount. itll be front top to bottom on a long bolt: washer, mount, washer, rubber biscuit deal, washer, frame mount, washer, another rubber biscuit, washer and then locknut. maybe even a castle nut with a hole through the bolt and a cotter pin to keep it from coming loose.
then since ill have rubber motor mounts ill just get a rubber tranny mount from autozone.

now on the angles of the motor and driveline, i want to set the motor at an angle that of a stock vehicle.
ive heard that i should set the motor at the same angle as the pinion. the pinion angle on the pup right now is pretty high up, i think, for stock. when i fab the mounts ill have to get an angle gauge to set everything correct. i hate drive train vibrations.




well i try my best to make em work good! lol
you know, i did like the racing last year, and i had the pup consistent as all get out, but 18.5s @ 71mph is not fast. i had fun, but i need to go faster. i need to get that feeling in my gut when i stomp it and the front end pulls up. i hope to make it consistent with the v8.

speaking of the v8, i looked at the block today. its a 3970010 4 bolt main high nickel block. the motor was ran hot, and screwed up the pistons. so thats the reason its in pieces now. the rods i was hoping were gm X rods, but they are just standard duty rods. i forgot to ask what the specs on the crank were. ill have to send chet a PM and find that out.
so thats the deal. heres a pic of the block i took today, that ill be picking up next month, in the luv no less!!

chet also has a set of heads for it, but they're 624 castings. junk light duty heads. might take em just for mock up heads though. and to make the garage look more full. lol

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"but its that gut feeling of you're drawn to what feels right for yourself and what you're passionate about..."

well im up late and thinkin again.

on the main caps, should i use studs? does anyone on here have a studded bottom end? also what about the rod bolts? id like to go wit at least new hardware, but do aftermarket studs and bolts hold together better? even though im going to be using standard rods, id still like to get the occasional 6000-6500 spin out of it.

then i have questions on the pistons. after hearing that the pistons out of this motor are toast, this leaves me open to a new set. when we built lees last motor he used some KB hypers with a .125 dome. bumped the compresion up quite a bit with his 462 casting heads. while it still ran on regular on that setup, it pinged like a sonofabitch when hed get into it. so if i use a dome pistons, it will be a premium only motor. now this leads me to another question.
whats the difference between a hyper and a forged piston. ive heard that hypers have a tendency to have holes blow though them from higher compression ratios.
the last motor i built, we used speed pro flattop hypers with kevlar coated skirts. this was in a 30 over 305 with 60cc heads, and it figured out to be around 10:1 compression. it ran good when it was kept in tune. we never had any problems with the pistons though.
so really, am i going to have problems with hypers? all my experiences with them have been good.

back to the tranny. with all the other v8 swaps ive done, they all been auto trannys. now every one of those trannys has leaked from the tranny pan, dipstick tube, kickdown cable and cooler lines.
now ive figured out the cooler line solution. hardlines from the tranny to about the core support and then hydraulic line from the hardlines to the cooler. that way all connections are compression fittings and shouldn't leak a drop.
on the dipstick, im going for the lokar tube that slides into the case with an o-ring. we used one on lees 80, but i dont remember if it leaked or not, since the trannys that were in that truck were leaking POS's.
so whats the trick to getting the dipstick sealed? i was thinking maybe a thin coat of JB weld onto the case and around the dipstick when its been put into the case. it would hold it in the case, and would seal it up. youd think that would work.
then theres the kickdown cable. i have yet to find a kick down from any parts store that is a quality peice. all of them ive seen are made in israel, and are total POS's. where can i find a good quality kickdown that has the proper rubber seal, and a strong mounting deal? ive dont know how many cables ive broken while tightening then to the tranny.
finally for the pan, im going to do what TJ said and go with the cast aluminum pan with the fins. itll aid in cooling the tranny, and should help eliminate leaks.

well i think im done for w few hours. im sure ill lay down in a minute and have 1000 other thing run rampid though my head.

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"but its that gut feeling of you're drawn to what feels right for yourself and what you're passionate about..."

Farmer, my preference on pistons is forged over hypers, just as a durability issue. The KB's hold up better than stockers, but not as well as the forged. It all depends on your usage. The KB's don't like a LOT of NOS, but they hold up for smaller shots. Don't hate on me guys, I'm sure others will have a different opinion. As to the rod bolts, for your power level, and rpm range the stock rods should be fine. An ARP bolt upgrade and you'll be set. Also, studs shouldn't be necessary for your app. Since the engines been run hot, I'd replace the bolts with new ones, just to be safe. Good luck on the build.

_________________
If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

well since the motor will never see the slightest wisp on nitrous, i think the hypers will be fine for me. if i had a larger budget id definantly go with some forgded pieces.

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"but its that gut feeling of you're drawn to what feels right for yourself and what you're passionate about..."

A Lokar dipstick tube is pretty much the industry standard. I have one that's a firewall mount and it doesn't leak at all. You might as well look at their trans kickdown cable. It looks like a high quality piece. If i ever need to replace my kickdown, i'll most likely pony up and get the Lokar assy.

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

you know i never though to look at lokar for the kickdown. that might very well be what im looking for!

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"but its that gut feeling of you're drawn to what feels right for yourself and what you're passionate about..."

I use a stock dipstick tube and a stock kickdown set up, no leak. I use "the right stuff" black silicon from permatex I think. That stuff never leaks. I own several Sea Doo's and that is what Sea Doo recommends on the jet pumps, so I tried it with my engine stuff and it is perfect.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

I run Forged trw/speed pro 2256 .030 4 relief flattops . I see them used on ebay go for $80 a set in good shape . Arp wave loc rod bolts are all I run and arp main and head bolt finish it out . Just a thought the newer forged powdered metal rods are lighter and stronger than the old style rod . I am also a believer in the vortec head . With the above piston they make 9.7 to 1 and are pump gas friendly . I put a 2 bolt together with this combo 2256 piston , vortec head , comp xe268 h cam , 600 edelbrock , 2.5 inch pipes , hei , high rise dual plane intake . Had this in a 3750# second gen camaro . It went 13.18 , that's like 325hp to the ground ! Subtract 1100# and that's fast. Anyway , my machinist said he would rather see cast or forged than hypers , and then he says it's your motor .

you guys have it planed out I can sure say that. I feel like a newbie amongst you all, and, well, I guess I am at this stuff.

But if I may ask a stupid/basic question amongst friends here. Your block, the high nickel content, I understand it's desire however did GM use this casting in a special application (such as heavy duty apps) or is it luck of the draw as to what you get (back in the day of course)?

Is this the only high nickle casting used by GM?

just curosity/intersting tech tidbits is why I am asking

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I TOOK UR MOM DRAGGIN LAST NIGHT
Bagged 84 Pup
Bagged 53 F100
stock 72 Citroen DS19

Most of the 4 bolt 010's were in truck's or high performance passenger vehicles. The 400's had other casting numbers on their high nickel blocks. On the front of the engines under the timing cover, look for 010, under that 010 or 020, preferably 020. These blocks have a higher nickel and tin content in the casting. Not all 010's are 4 bolt either. Pulling the oil pan is about the only way I've found to check.

_________________
If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

mytmouz is correct, basically these blocks are the closest to a "bowtie" performance block that came in a vehicle stock.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

Here is the answer regarding the so called Hi Nickel content:
386, 618, and early to 1972 010 blocks incorporating the 4-bolt main caps had a nickel content added in the pour for strengthening when they were sand casted at the time of their manufacturing times.

"020", when seen inside the timing cover area behind the water pump, or...along other points of the SBC block are the only other sources to identifying that Nickel was added to the block.

When the Term: "HIGH NICKEL" is used, please be aware that any story over a HUGE duration in time can be twisted.
Don't be fooled into thinking any GM SBC or BBC block was a "High Nickel" pour added into any particular GM block.
It was performed, but not at the consideration in today's terminology as if it was Really a "HI" content mix.
It was added, but not at a HIGH content.
It strengthens, but should not be considered an extremely considerable affect at the block itsself.

Beneficial, YES!
Outwardly a completely different animal, NO!
Many 2-Bolt Blocks can withsatnd a 400-500HP design, without the need of a NICKEL additive.

SO..........
Dont be fooled into thinking that an 010 block is a race advantage, a structurally stronger piece, nor a more desireable piece from which to build with.
Is it a bonus to have it , YES!
Will it make a difference, in a street motor,
emffatically:
NO!
I have owned many BB and SB and ZL1 and "O" code GM prototype CanAM blocks to know that they will break, nor withstand many assembled engine assemblys put together.
Structurally, any weak pointe can be exposed!

_________________
72 L.U.V.
427 SBC-700R4
SE 9-3/8 4P TracLoc, 6-lug rear discs,
custom rear leafs, custom made aluminum radiator,
Mustang II front suspension
LUV perf parts manufacturing
My Devotion to Karl :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmXc4F78 ... re=related