Getting the engine/trans in

[roguegeek]

I help a friend build a 70 w full speedtech setup. To get the driveline angle correct, we ended up having to cut the entire tunnel from the firewall to the rear seat area. It was a ton. I wasn't expecting that having built 15+ first gens. I'll see if he can shoot me some pics and post them.

Yup, it is quite a lot. Speedtech builds their own tunnel for their setup. It's already installed on my body. I should only have to cut the hole for the shifter at this point. Fingers crossed.



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Besides what is said above I would pull the fenders also. So much easier working around the engine and subframe with the fenders out of the way. Hate to damage what looks like nice paint.

I was thinking the same thing. Easy enough to do, so I might as well. Thanks!

[Kenova]

My experience comes from installing a T56 Magnum in a '71 Nova.

- I jacked the car up nice and high and used cribbing for the front tires. This gave me lots of room with no jack stands getting in the way.
- I left the engine on it's mounts and used some scrap wood to support the oil pan. I wanted the engine to tip down at the rear but not enough to bust up the distributor (gen I sbc).
- I removed the clutch and disk so I wouldn't have to align the trans input shaft with every test fit. I had to change the bell housing so it wasn't a big deal.
- To make the test fits easier I cut the heads off of some extra long bolts to use as guide pins.
- Most importantly I bought a proper transmission jack. They are a lot cheaper than a trip to the emergency room or weekly visits to the chiropractor. I used a cargo strap to hold the trans on the jack and it stayed there untill I was done.
- I would bolt the trans to the bell housing and jack it up untill it hit the tunnel, mark where it hit, remove the trans, then cut out the offending portion of the tunnel. I removed the shifter and made a cover for the hole. This allowed me to jack the trans up higher before hitting the floor. Repeat as needed untill you have achieved the desired angle of the engine and trans. I was shooting for 2 degrees and settled at 2 1/2 degrees. Once that is established build/modify the trans cross member.
- Plug up that big gaping hole.

I eventually cut the tunnel from an inch from the firewall to a point between the bucket seats (which were removed) because the trans yoke was hitting the floor. I suspect your trans tunnel is bigger so you may get away with less cutting.
It can be tedious work but it's worth every bit of effort when you get it on the road.

Ken