Angle of motor???

I am building a frame for a 29 Essex ratrod and using a Chevy 350 and auto trans, I am tryn to get some help on what angle the motor should be set at and exactly how to determine the angle?

-Where can I measure the angle at? on the intake manifold where the carb would sit?-Do I make the motor level or should it slightly lean back?

Any insight would be great guys? Thanks

The easiest way for you to set it up will be to determine the angle your chassis will sit at when it is complete(odds are it will angle forward if you are running a hot rod style stance) and see how many degrees you are off of zero and then lean your motor back a couple of degrees off of zero the oposite direction. eg. if your chassis had a 5 degree forward rake from level you would need to angle your engine mounts rearward 7 degrees on your frame(5 deg to put your engine horizontal plus 2 more for the rearward slope)

Small block chevrolet motors are usually sloped back slightly to help the oil drain back into the rear sump oil pan, this helps avoid windage(where the crank has oil splashing on it which robs power and can lead to oil foaming) A digital level or protractor sitting on the intakes carb mounting flange is a good spot to measure the angle off of on the engine

Hope this helps you out a bit, good luck with your build

be careful cos some manifolds are angled. so if you use the top of the manifold it may throw off your measurements.

It's a flat intake......so basically a couple deg or rearward slope is a good rule of thumb?

i had always heard 5-7 degrees is pretty close to perfect. every year, make and model could be varied but 5-7 will be sufficent

Edited: 11/4/2010 7:11:57 AM by Maz2low

With chassis level, 3.5-5 degrees is what alot use.