Atilla the Fun

Today at the salvage yard I had a little success: I found a steering column with a key. I'll try to get before-and-after pics up within a week.

Atilla the Fun

Atilla the Fun

Atilla the Fun

sleeper_inc

Great progress my friend! nice to see you doing the swap even if people hate it! Keep us updated!

Atilla the Fun

Thank you! I'm glad of your comments. I just placed an order for the FRPP adjustable transmission crossmember.
Here's the latest mock-up, but I'm not really happy with it, so I'm making new adapter plates.

sleeper_inc

You got it right tucked against the fire wall, great for weight distribution though... not so much for messing with the timing. Best of luck to you (doesn't look like you need it though).

Oh and btw, just because it says ford doesn't mean it needs a ford engine, and just because it says chevy doesn't mean it needs a chevy engine. Take a step out of the norm guys. We go against the grain just running a 2.3 turbo swap...

Atilla the Fun

Putting it that far back not only took a bit of firewall "massaging" with a BFH, it also took some surgery to the stock trans crossmember from a 5.0 / AOD car.
Turning the dizzy isn't a problem, even with a few old plug wires stuck on there, but when the new crossmember gets here, I'm going to re-position.
In the meantime, today I'm pulling the engine and empty trans case back out. I want to cut the "ears" off the case, it'll make it easier to test-fit the Summit Racing 1.625" headers for a '67-'81 Camaro.
I think this swap culd be done with a stock 5.0 / AOD driveshaft, with a GM slip yoke swapped on using a conversion-style u-joint, but every time I make the rounds of all the salvage yards, every driveshaft has been bent by their forklifts. I've talked to all of the managers, but it' hasn't helped.
With the engine as far back as it is in the above pics, there's still more than 45% of it ahead of the front axle centerline. In my '84 Trans Am, it's only 25%.
This points to the NEED for the Maxumum Motorsports tubular K-member which extends the wheelbase forward by 1", and their tubular control arms, which add another 1".
So I'm not gonna invest too much in the stock piece. Besides, I do have those '96 GT spindles (and brakes) waiting to go on, and they can't go on with the stock geometry unless I re-locate the steering rack. There would be too much bump-steer, that the bumpsteer kits and offset rack bushings and Steeda X2 balljoints couldn't fix. The only solution would be a pair of the '94-'95 spindles.
For wheels, I'm planning on Mavromont PonyR 17x9 with a +46mm offset, because if they won't go up front, they'll be fine with my extra-wide rear.

Atilla the Fun

Also, to use the MM K, I have to go coil-over, which I want to do, now that I've learned the price of the Griggs SLA. And I'll be going with about a 375-pound spring and the Bilstein struts.
In the rear, I did want to use the 17x10, but I really don't have enough rear weight to justify that. My car is gutted, and while it will be getting a full moly cage, it'll also get a fiberglass hatch with a lexan window. Plus 10s would require mini-tubbing IF I used the MM rear suspension kit. It does actually increase rear body roll. I'm leaning toward combining the Steeda 5-link-II with a Watts Link setup.

Atilla the Fun

I had removed everything from the block, and was in process of pulling the engine, when I saw another way to try mounting it. So I mocked that up, and liked it. I left it that way for now, and put more stuff on it.
The trans is hard against the floorpan in a few spots, but I'll clearance them later. The first issue, in the first pic below, is that now the distributor won't drop in.