Mounting sidepipes to body, mounting point does not line up.

[Wisconsin_Snake]

I am test fitting the sidepipes to the chassis and have come to realize that the mounting point at the backend of the sidepipes is coming up short.

Looking at the headers, they (and engine) appear to be in the correct location as the gap between the passenger header and firewall footwell is about 1.5 inches.



The distance between the mounting hole in the chassis is 1 inch.

So the question is, do I have the engine in the wrong position? Swapping the engine mounts around would move the engine back about a inch BUT would have the engine sitting very close to the firewall AND the header less than an inch from the firewall/footwell.

From pictures of other CRs I have seen, the engines appear to sit about 2 inches in front of the firewall.
Engine is a small block Ford 302.

[wanab65]

W. S.

I have a CR built in 1991 with a 351W. I noticed when I bought it almost a year ago that the headers were almost touching the fiberglass foot well and the pipes (where they come through the body) were resting against the fiberglass cutout. The original builder had the motor mounts on the wrong side. Changed them and the pipes moved forward 1 1/2 inches ( in the area where your arrows indicate). The pipes are also now centered in the body cutout. Unless someone has different info it sounds like you have the engine in the right place. You just need to deal with attachment at the end of the exhaust. Do your pipes have a clamp at the joint of the muffler/header? If not a piece of flat stock could be used as a joiner at the attachment point.

[HSC-ZL1]

Your picture of the frame mount and turn-out bracket should be fairly easy to get some kind of vibration damping and bracket to mount. If you have a friendly exhaust shop nearby they might have something that could bolt right up with a piece of flat stock or even a complete hanger.

[Wisconsin_Snake]

Originally Posted by wanab65

W. S.
Do your pipes have a clamp at the joint of the muffler/header? If not a piece of flat stock could be used as a joiner at the attachment point.

I am not understanding what you are describing here...
I am very curious, do you have a pic?

[SGR]

The clearance between the headers and firewall looks OK to me, but do the headers line up to the cut out in the body? That would be my biggest concern...there are ways to realign the side pipe mounts, but cutting (or worse patching) the fiberglass is a lot harder.

For the side pipe mounts, you could use a rubber (or silicon) mount at the frame mount and weld the mounting bracket to the existing bracket to your pipes. (See link for example)

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/stw-uh3-5w/overview/

Another option would be to cut out the restrictive mufflers from the side pipes and replace them with more free flowing ones. This would give you the chance to adjust the overall length of the side pipes.

Classic Chambered Exhaust Inc. - Products

[wanab65]

Sorry, I forgot most side pipes do not have a clamp on muffler. Mine is really old. It is important to make sure the pipes will clear the body. I think you have the engine mounted correctly but if you can try the body on the car to make sure the pipes fit in the body header cut out.

[Wisconsin_Snake]

Unfortunately I have the body stored someplace else, I will not be able to test fit it for sometime... I was hooking up headers to test fire the engine and reach a milestone.

I think I am going to get some angle iron from the hardware store, cut two 3 inch sections (one for each side) weld a nut on each one for a mounting point. Then weld it to the side of the chassis effectively moving the mounting point forward to where it lines up with the side pipe.

Then again since I only want to fire the engine and need to make sure that the cut outs in the body line up when I have the body here... The side pipes will get hung up by electrical wire until I can test fit the body.

I think this car is fighting me every step of the way building it.

[wanab65]

WS,

You are doing the right thing. Body header alignment can wait. Wiring up the pipes is the way to go. You know what to look for in the future and good luck on that engine fire-up.

[MaSnaka]

Wisconsin,
If you have the CR mufflers I agree with SGR about replacing with the Classic Chambered. It made a big difference with my car. Use a mirror and flashlight and take a peek through the end of your muffler. If you see a 1 1/2" hole peeking back at you then you will know why.

I found having a threaded stud fixed to the frame made attaching the sidepipes easier to line. You could make an adapter plate to connect if its necessary.

Good luck.
John

[Wisconsin_Snake]

Thanks for the tip on the sidepipes.... I actually have both styles, realizing I had the old style (and they are the ones that are nickel plated ) so when a member was selling a set of the newer ones here, I jumped on them realizing finding a set later would be hard.