Engine is in...need to shim driver's sideside

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MrJLR

MrJLR

Built, not bought
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Woohoo! It's in!

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Hung the Doug's D453 headers to the side and dropped the engine in between. Worked out pretty good...
But not surprisingly, the driver's side is a little too tight...

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So how and where exactly do I shim that side?
Do the shims go against the K-Frame or...?

Victory beer in hand!

Jeff
 
Congrats on the install !!!

Be careful trying to "adjust" it for the headers, sometimes trying to bias it toward the pass side will kick the left side outward instead of inward....

Have you installed the starter yet??? Better do it soon before the motor mounts are secure... Then the trans linkages after the starter ~ it gets tight down there fast....
 
Why are you running an aluminum water pump on a 68??? it should have cast iron...

What are you doing for a radiator to match the outlets???
 
Hey Jeff, can you swing the pressure hose on the PS toward the outside of the return hose to get it away from the header and the heat coming off of it...

If you get the headers to glow orange on the cam break-in, it's too retarded, kick the timing advance up a bit....

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krazykuda said:
Why are you running an aluminum water pump on a 68??? it should have cast iron...

What are you doing for a radiator to match the outlets???
Click to expand...

Thanks. ..good tips!
It's a new stock water pump. ..painted it with Eastwood brake grey...

I'll get that starter in before anything else and my Bouchillon cable too...then mess with shimming the engine. ....

How much shim is average. ..and where?

Jeff
 
MrJLR said:
Thanks. ..good tips!
It's a new stock water pump. ..painted it with Eastwood brake grey...

I'll get that starter in before anything else and my Bouchillon cable too...then mess with shimming the engine. ....

How much shim is average. ..and where?

Jeff
Click to expand...

We didn't shim ours, we tried to push it to the right in the mounts, but it kept centering....

Maybe try to put a 1/2" diameter washer or two on the bottom stud for the left engine mount...

Watch the clearance with the starter to the left header, it is very tight, even with mini starter there is an electrical connection with a rubber boot from the pipe that made us nervous, we somehow got it to have about 3/8" clearance, but it makes me nervous with the heat that can come off the header.
 
MrJLR said:
Thanks. ..good tips!
It's a new stock water pump. ..painted it with Eastwood brake grey...

I'll get that starter in before anything else and my Bouchillon cable too...then mess with shimming the engine. ....

How much shim is average. ..and where?

Jeff
Click to expand...

If you have the original style radiator for the car, it's easier to use the cast iron water pump. Your power steering is made to mount off the boss on the cast iron water pump, and the lower radiator outlet is on the proper side for the original style radiator.

If you keep the aluminum water pump, what brackets are you going to use to mount it? The aluminum water pump power steering brackets come off the water pump left lower bolts, totally different mounting...

Using the cast iron water pump will solve those issues...
 
krazykuda said:
We didn't shim ours, we tried to push it to the right in the mounts, but it kept centering....

Maybe try to put a 1/2" diameter washer or two on the bottom stud for the left engine mount...

Watch the clearance with the starter to the left header, it is very tight, even with mini starter there is an electrical connection with a rubber boot from the pipe that made us nervous, we somehow got it to have about 3/8" clearance, but it makes me nervous with the heat that can come off the header.
Click to expand...

Ya...I'm a little leary of the starter situation. ....I bought a mini starter....
I have a lot to do still, but this is a milestone!

Jeff
 
krazykuda said:
If you have the original style radiator for the car, it's easier to use the cast iron water pump. Your power steering is made to mount off the boss on the cast iron water pump, and the lower radiator outlet is on the proper side for the original style radiator.

If you keep the aluminum water pump, what brackets are you going to use to mount it? The aluminum water pump power steering brackets come off the water pump left lower bolts, totally different mounting...

Using the cast iron water pump will solve those issues...
Click to expand...
It is a cast iron pump...just painted....

Jeff
 
krazykuda said:
Not the silver one in your pictures... That's aluminum....
Click to expand...

You're right...I just double checked my Summit order.....
But I will say I A/B compared the old and new and they were an exact match. ....
My radiator is not period correct but it worked before so...here's hoping everything goes back the way it was!

Jeff
 
I think shimming on the drivers side will just drive the #7 pipe into the steering worse.
shimming the passenger side will allow the drivers side to drop down the slope of the mount to the end of the slot, and maybe gain you some clearance, but it will be minuscule and somewhat tricky.And then you get to deal with the off-level carburetor.
I would loosen the bolts on all the engine brackets and let everything settle to the bottom, then retighten. You might have done that, if you bolted them on with the engine upside-down.
And then I would pull the column and modify that to fit. The usual fix there is to shorten the outer sleeve at the lower end. If the coupler hits the pipe you can replace it with a U-joint.

But above all, like others have said; you gotta insulate the pressure hose from the header. If it ruptures due to heat, you will have a fire there right away.

I thought Dougs were supposed to be the final word on A-body headers?Perfect fit and all that?
 
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I found it on here somewhere. Let me see if I still have the info.

So the original Dart mount I show as 2266 on Summit, and the thicker one is 602469.
 
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AJ/FormS said:
I think shimming on the drivers side will just drive the #7 pipe into the steering worse.
shimming the passenger side will allow the drivers side to drop down the slope of the mount to the end of the slot, and maybe gain you some clearance, but it will be minuscule and somewhat tricky.And then you get to deal with the off-level carburetor.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm...never thought of that...
I left the chains on the engine figuring I'll still be lifting the engine a little here and there. ....

Jeff
 
AJ/FormS said:
I thought Dougs were supposed to be the final word on A-body headers?Perfect fit and all that?
Click to expand...

Lol....I never believed that!
But they're close....and they sure are pretty!
It's a 50 year old car....I knew I'd have to work for it.....but damn I can't wait to drive it again!

Let's see...since I tore it apart. ..
Engine
All new wiring harnesses
Complete new rear end
Complete new front end
New gas tank (not in yet....!)
New torque converter

Gonna be a very different car than the one I drove back from Oregon a year ago!

Jeff
 
Thanks guys...I "think" I have a better idea how to proceed now....and a lot of great tips!

Jeff
 
you have the patients of a saint working around that stuff.... I'd a had a coil suspension tube K/steering rack on that thing faster than you can say "headers fit?" Looks good!! Keep on it!!
 
A body said:
you have the patients of a saint working around that stuff.... I'd a had a coil suspension tube K/steering rack on that thing faster than you can say "headers fit?" Looks good!! Keep on it!!
Click to expand...

Thanks!
It's a labor of love!

Jeff
 
I had no problem dinging my TTIs. Maybe Ima redneck but I ain't got the patience to spend 3 weeks making stuff work that 2 seconds with a big hammer will fix. I just wanna drive. NOW!
It still goes 93 in the 1/8th so if I were to estimate the power loss from 3 dings, where would I start and how much faster do you think my car would be.Answer? I don't care. Listen, here it comes .......Whaaack!,
and A&W here we come;we are cruising to-night.
heehee
 
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Try fitting 1-7/8 tube TTIs. Had to use thicker biscuit on driver and a fat shim on the passenger side to get it off the box, idler arm nut, and also grind down the gear selector area of the steering column to not rub on #7 slip in header tube. Just barely clears in all 3 spots.
 
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