Well, I keep inching along on the truck. I thought I would have the engine bolted in by now, but I have come across a dilemma (which is a very tough word to spell, by the way). More on that later (the dilemma, not the spelling).

The old engine mounts to the frame at the front of the oil pan. Newer engines mount closer to the center of the engine.  So I fabricated a new cross member to line up with the motor mounts on the newer engine. I used 2x2 box steel, but I think 2.5x1.5 might have been better. That would better match the width of the motor mount (about 2.7). 

I trimmed the old cross member under the bell housing, because it didnt clear the new transmission. I didnt want to cut it clear out. It doesnt have any strength to it as it is, but I will weld a top back on to it once I know that the new trans will clear. The rear (trans) cross member simply unbolts (10 bolts!) and I will just need to move it back a few inches for the new transmission.

This picture isnt in the right time sequence, but it nicely shows the engine/transmission combination that I am putting in place. This engine is actually just a spare block, but the transmission is the real thing, a New Venture Gear 3500 "Getrag" 5 speed manual. I still need to find a shifter for it, but it will be a while before I need that.

Everything that I have read indicates that the newer Chevy 230 engine is shorter than the older 216, but when I put the radiator in place to test the fit, I found that isnt true. The 230 is a full inch longer than the 216, plus the transmission adds a 1/2 inch on the back end against the firewall (the original bell housing does not stick up nearly as high, and fits under the firewall).

As it presently sits, the crank pulley clears the radiator by about 1 inch, and the water pump will stick out about 2 inches beyond that. Problem!  It is kind of a shame, the water pump is long just to support he fan, which I dont even plan to use. But I do need the pump, and I dont see any practical way to shorten it. There is room to move the radiator forward, but there will probably be other problems created by this, that I wont know about until I put the whole front end back together.

I keep thinking that a 350 V8 is 6 inches shorter than the 6 cylinder. That would easily solve the radiator clearance problem (probably create lots of others, but it would definitely solve this one).

So I keep thinking: should I stay with the 6 cylinder, and keep it looking like an old truck...

Or finish my Camaro motor and squeeze that in, which would officially make it a hotrod. I would love to see this motor run, but I am not sure it belongs in an old truck. Exhaust clearance, Alternator to frame, etc., will be very tight. And it just doesnt look right.

I am going to try to setup my motor mounts to take either one, but I need to make a decision some time. What to do, what to do.