Oldfart
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I appreciate the PM on engine alignment, OF! You actually got me thinking about raising the motor/tranny. It sits pretty low. The reason for that is the tranny crossmember is what is currently dictating where it all sits, height wise. If I remove the crossmember/frame bushings, put those bushings instead under the th400 tailshaft mounting holes I would have effectively moved the powertrain upwards 2.5 inches. That would not allow me enough room to get by without modifying the headers, but it would allow for a good 5" of oil pan clearance and the motor mounts would sit up a little higher.
Driveshaft angle wise, I believe you are correct in that it would be fine. You should see the HMMWV's. They are canted WAAAY over towards the passenger side. Those are some weird vehicles.
The 4bt Cummins used in some MV conversions usually uses the bell housing from a bread truck application so as to clear the steering gearboxes. This is most effective on M37's. What happens is the engine is rotated off the center line. It looks sort of like the slant head 6 that Dodge used for a number of years, only not so pronounced. Sticks in my mind it is a 4 degree rotation. Like I said, General Motors vans set the engine and trans off to the passenger side to make room for the foot controls and steering wheel on the drivers side.
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