Need help with my 61

[61chevy_newbie]

would be nice if you could get a few pictures,,, if i cant get a shifter to work for this ill prolly get new motor and trans cause right now i hate shifting i cant even hold a soda in that thing

[Captainfab]

There is a lot more to this than most people think. After the engine and trans is mounted correctly,there is all the wiring, plumbing, exhaust, transmission cooler lines, driveshaft, etc, etc.

I've done a few, so I am aware of what it takes to do the job right.

I'm not trying to rip anyone off, I'm just not into doing a job at a loss.

If you can get the job done, as a turn key, for $1000, that is a heck of a deal.

Originally Posted by 61chevy_newbie

That would be ok this whole drop in I just don't see where 3 thousand in labor would come in I see like a 1000 in labor if you have all the tools which this guy has
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[61chevy_newbie]

would 2000 be turn key? i told the guy at the car shop thats all the money i have can you get the parts in it and rolling

[par4tom]

Hi There,
I just did a 350 conversion into my 61 this past weekend, including getting rid of the horsehoe motor mount and converting over to the motor mounts you are talking about.

Let me tell you...it is a lot of work. You have to fabricate the 2 1/2 spacers for each side, drill the holes, mock every thing up and then install the engine so you can mark the holes where you need to drill into the frame and into the cross member. That will take you about 4 hours right there.

Then, you have to take it all back out, drill the frame and the cross member, install the motor back in and get all the holes to line up. That's another 2 to 3 hours (took me half a day because it takes time to line it up and bolt it down).

I'll say this...you'll have a full 8 hours just on the motor mount conversion (took me about 10) and I don't want to do it again.

Now...you're running electrical, bolting up all the attachments, transmission, etc...

All I'm saying is it is not really a lot of difficult work (but it is a lot of work).

Look over the forums here...I got a lot of ideas on the engine mounts from here and Captain added some great input. I followed what these other guys did, and was able to do it myself (and I am no Mr. Goodwrench)

There was a lot of busy work to get my small block into the truck...it was a good weekend project. It will take me another week to get all the rest together and hopefully get it running.

Best of luck. Message me if you have questions because I have a 61 like you...
Tom

[par4tom]

Here are my pics....again this is a SBC into a 61 Apache I did this past weekend.

You can barely see the 2 half-inch steel spacers I had to fabricate to sit on top of the frame. The big block should work just as easily as you can see there is a bit of room to work with here.

I used the 67-72 motor stanchions (perches) from a wrecking yard ($50). They worked good and I got the motor mounts themselves at Rockauto.com for about $20 including shipping.

Just be sure to mock everything up, do NOT tighten the bolts down (ask me how I know) until you get all the holes to line up on the motor mount, the cross member and the frame.

Piece of cake!!!

Tom

[Captainfab]

Getting it rolling and turn key are two different things

Originally Posted by 61chevy_newbie

would 2000 be turn key? i told the guy at the car shop thats all the money i have can you get the parts in it and rolling