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Installing V8 into 1951 Chevy 1/2 ton

Whew !

penniwinkle said:
Here are some pics of the new exhaust headers I installed to gain more space for the steering gear. I have about 1 inch or so now. The headers are Corvette style for 327 engine. Included a pic of my new shifter and the cables that run to the tranny.

Just put my radiator in the shop. Hope to get it back soon so I can install it with a new elec fan (going to mount a 'pusher')...want to put the front-end back together soon. Am also working with a local shop on a driveshaft. Its been a challenge as the turbo 400 I have does not have a slip-yoke (the yoke is bolted to the output shaft). Will probably get a shaft that has a slip-joint on the shaft (like a 4 wheel drive truck). The length has been an issue...it needs to be about 60 inches (about the max the local shop wants to work on).

Roger
Click to expand...

That's a snug fit .

Is that the park brake I see held to the frame with a spring ? :p .

I wonder : has anyone ever tried painting a V-8 gray ? . it might looks pretty good .
 
spring on frame

Nate, I removed to part of the clutch pedal that is inside the cab but have yet not removed the lower part. I just wrapped the spring around the lower part of the clutch pedal to hold it out of the way when I installed the engine. I will eventually remove it, hopefully.

I oriiginally wanted to paint the engine a light blue but the original paint was the orange.

Roger
 
O.k. !

Be aware that Chevrolet blue was for the thinwall 194 CID engines only....

My point was that a gray engine would look more ' original ' and could really shine if you used rockerbox decals or perhaps painted the raised " CHEVROLET " on the early style rockerboxes black....
 
valve covers

Roger I have a set of the old school chevy script valve covers let me know and there yours.
Robert
 
updates

Hey Roger any up dates on your v8 are you on the road yet.
I got the 235 all hooked up tuned up because I removed the dist so had to start over. put the split manifold off my engine on and the glass packs sound good.
all i have to do now is put the front bumper on and test drive it.
Robert:D
 
Yahoo !

Way to go Robert ! I expect to see pix of you cruising Whittier Blvd......
 
whittier blvd

Yep soon enough my barber is on whittier blvd going to him for about 20 plus years now man I must be getting old.
I will have to learn how to post pics but I have to take some pics first.
Robert
 
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V8-installation..progress

Robert, I really enjoyed the movies of your Truck...sounds great and looks even better. I wish my progress would be much quicker. It seems I get into situations where I have to make my own brackets, cables, etc. Much time is consumed with trial and error situations. Since my last update, I have installed a 'pusher' elec fan, installed a new gas pedal with cables, installed both rear brake components, new shocks, and put the front body back together (grill, fenders, etc with a reconditioned radiator). I need to install the new guages with senders, complete the exhaust and get a drive-shaft installed. I will attach some pics soon.

Roger
 
V8 Installation Progress

Here are a few pics of my progress. Radiator back installed with pusher fan, grill back in, brakes on the rear and gas pedal installed with cable to carb.

Roger
 

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looks good

once on the road all the joy of your hard work will pay off.
my progress has been very slow my truck was all apart most of last year.
the 350 I have and was going to use and still might some day is in my garage still along with the 216.
keep us posted on any updates.
Robert
 
Thanks

This thread is a good preview of what I have ahead. How did you shift the steering box? Any extra tips. Where did you source your crossmembers from? I have done some looking but thought I would ask for a first hand review. Thanks
 
Nate, i like your idea on the gray color and think i will give it a try. My motor is going to the machinist this week so as soon as i get it back i will paint it up and post some pictures. Any recommendations for brands of engine/header paints?
 
Header Paint

Not really ;

All I know is : I don't use cheap paint because it always flakes off .

I always rinse the engine with starting fluid after I've finished cleaning it , this way I never get those annoying bubbles and fish eyes .

Taking the time to pain the accessories , generator , manifolds , throttle linkages etc. gloss black will make even an LT1 engine look better in an old vehicle .
 
Crossmembers

Hi Jason, the crossmembers are from POL (Performance online). They also have other kits for our trucks. The steering gear was moved to the outside of the frame (per suggestions from members on this site). There is a good article on this....google..... moving steering gear chevy truck v8 motor .

I have the 305 v8 running in my truck. The pusher fan with the stock radiator seems ok. The radiator used to overflow until I installed a 6 LB cap and a recirculating catch-can. all the gauges are installed and working. I have the exhaust about 90 % complete. Will post more pictures shortly.

Roger
 
As the V8 is shorter than the I6, there's plenty of room front-to-rear. How do I determine the best placement? I'm thinking forward for fan position relative to radiator; unless I go electric. Other considerations?
 
truck

glad to hear the good news I sent a reply e-mail but don't know what I did.
keep us posted on updates
Robert
 
Truck

Regarding the V8 placement - I did some measuring from the distributor to the middle of the motor mounts (and added another inch or two so I could remove the dist cap with no problems. My goal was to have as much room in front as possible, between the motor and radiator. I had always planned on an electric fan and wanted to use a puller instead of a pusher. I had room to put in a puller, but the absence of the fan (when its in front of the radiator and hidden out of view) seemed to look the best to me. As I said in previous posts, the location for the motor mount/crossmember I selected forced me to move the brake lines on each side (which was not big deal to me). I think the location of the motor/trans might be an issue if you already have a driveshaft you want to use. I'm having one made and its length is about 59 1/2 inches when using the bolt on yoke for the Turbo 400 (I installed a 10 bolt rearend from a 1970 Chevy Chevelle that is apx 60 inches from mount plate to mount plate).

Roger
 
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