I am new here and starting a tr6 v8 project...i have questions about placement of a ford 302. how low can i go? and how far back?

[kenw]

i am new to the forum and have a question about how low i can place the engine....i realize that the lower the better for handling   can i place the engine where the oil pan  and trans bell housing is an inch below the frame or is that a BAD IDEA?.. could i make a skid plate to protect the oil pan or should i keep the oil pan even with the bottom of the frame..i really want to make sure i dont mess up the engine placement as everything else i do is dependant upon that.....how far back can the engine go? is there any way i can get the distance from the firewall correct?...or distance from front cross member correct? again i would like to tap into your knowledge to make sure i get the engine in the right spot....THANKS!!

[mgb260]

Don't go lower than the front crossmember with the oil pan and radiator.

[IaTR6]

Look over how-it-was-done articles for ideas.
I chose to retain as much interior space as possible, moving the engine back only as much as needed.
I started with the front suspension cross tube, and chose the Explorer as my source to use the shortest front dress.
I used the Mustang oil pan for the rear sump, although there is a shallow front sump over the oil pump.
Actually set the engine in place temporarily to get accurate measurements of the needed clearance to the underside on the bonnet.
Look at project journals, Dennis' TR6 for one example of crossmember modification. (I'm not suggesting this as a necessarily good choice-you must decide) There are other ideas also.
I would hesitate to have the oil pan project below the chassis rails, as these vehicles don't have a lot of clearance to the roadway.
An engine swap requires modification skills and some creativity, using ideas from predecessors and your own.
Keep asking, folks here would love to help! And send pictures, we're kinda visually oriented!
Dennis

[BWA]

One thing to consider on how far back you place the engine is engine heat in the interior of the car.
The farther back you shove the engine the less airspace you have around the engine for air movement to push the hot air out of the engine bay.
This problem can be mitigated with lots of insulation on the transmission tunnel and around the footwells.
How far back you go and how low you go is primarily driven by what you feel is acceptable; hoodscoop or no hoodscoop.
Again this can be mitigated by the type of intake manifold and aircleaner you use and the waterpump you go with.
From what I understand the Ford small block comes with numerous front end configurations so the right combo will make the whole process a lot easier.
Take your time and carefully plan this thing out.
Also have fun doing it!!!!!

Cheers
Byron

[kenw]

thanks for the replys...after geting your feedback i will not put the motor any lower than the frame...as for how far forward or back...the rack and pinion seems to be a problem...crank pulley hits it even when the engine is pretty far back...i do see pulleys that might be smaller than the 3 grove v belt pully i have...maybe a serpentine pulley would stick out less....or better yet there must be a special pully set made for the shorty water pumps right?...the shorty water pump is 1 1/2"  shorter....that would be awesome if i found a pulley set for that...but where would i find such a pully set?...if you guys have any idea let me know,,,,thanks!!

[IaTR6]

Look at an Explorer setup at a pull-apart or junk yard. You will need a model prior to 2000 I think - not sure when the 4.6 V8
came in. The 5.0 has a serpentine belt setup with the crank pulley and harmonic damper as one unit. The water pump is reverse rotation, so you would have to account for that. The ginourmous cast aluminum brackets for the alternator and A/C are an issue. I made my own brackets, and without A/C.
I'm not absolutely sure, but the explorer water pump may be shorter than the "short" one you see advertised.
Dennis