Drothgeb

I want to lower the engine in 61 maybe a 1/4”-1/2”. What’s the preferred method, and how far can you go before causing issues?

Pop Chevy

You could probably shorten the front rubber motor mounts , but you would also need to lower the trans mount also. That would be the simplest. May I ask why ?

Drothgeb

When I bought the car there was a little damage to the hood from the carburetor studs making contact. I ground the studs down to flush with the top of the nuts. But still have less than 1/8” clearance and would like to see a little more. (Engine has Edelbrock dual quad and air cleaner)

Since I’ve got the engine and trans out, it’s a good time to address it. I was thinking trim the rubber mounts or elongate the holes at the frame mounts. Even an 1/8” would help some. I’ll be repainting it next winter, and want to make sure there’s no contact afterwards.

MikeM

It might be easier/better to take 1/8" off the carb mounting pads on the intake.

wmf62

you have to be aware of the fan shroud too; lowering the engine may cause the fan to hit

Bill

emccomas

What he said!

You have the engine out, so pull the intake off, remove the carbs and mounting studs, take it to a machine shop and have them shave 1/8 inch (or maybe even a 1/4 inch) off the carb mounting surface.

Or, get a different intake / carb setup that does not sit as high.

Lowering the engine is fixing the wrong problem, and will potentially lead to further problems.

MikeM

Spoken like a true rocket scientist!

Drothgeb

Actually, I have a mill. So getting it milled is not an issue. But the manifold is already pretty low rise, so I’d rather not make it lower. Doing a little reworking to to the fan shroud, would be minor too. So that’s why I was leaning toward lowering the engine. I’m also thinking, a lower engine in a sports car is a good thing, unless it’s too low for some reason.

GTOguy

Lowering the engine will telegraph into other issues: fan clearance problems, transmission mount issues, shifter issues, and probably the worst, incorrect driveline angles. I would change out the intake instead. About an hour's work, with a much better end-product. JMHO.....

Westlotorn

Or put 1/2 inch shims under the body mounts and raise the body slightly off the frame.

68hemi

That is the simplest and best idea.

MikeM

That manifold you have is not known for making a lot of power to start with. More for just mounting up two AFB's. I used to use one of those things. Two AFB's were about as good as one good single Holley as far a power.

I'll stick with milling the manifold.

Drothgeb

That’s an option I hadn’t thought of. I’ll be pulling the body during the repaint, so that would be easy then.

I’m mainly keeping the manifold for looks. But I do have a couple of single manifolds sitting around too. To use the Performer and a Holley, it looks like I need a 1/2” minimum, even with a low profile air cleaner.

Also giving some thought to a Borla FI setup, but I haven’t done any calculating as far as clearances go

Pop Chevy

Dual Quads are cool ! I just found a hood that had been cut and put a nice scoop on it. I'm running a Victor Jr. w/ 850 dbl pumper on my 60.

cv67

emccomas

Who are you calling... wait a minute, I am a true rocket scientist.

emccomas

You cannot say you were not warned about solving the wrong problem. Best of luck with whatever solution you come up with.

aworks

You don't need to shim the whole body. There is a lot of up and down movement in the nose. Try just shiming the radiator support. That will raise the hood and will give you more room.