Lowering the front of the engine

[Histoy56]

The 350 crate engine in the '56 I bought doesn't sit level. It sits high in the front so that the 17" fan I'm using is very close to touching the bottom of the radiator with a sizable gap at the top. The engine has side mounts plus a front mount on the passenger side. There is room for the side mount bolts to move lower in their slots. Should I loosen the side mounting bolts and tighten down the cushions on the front mount in order to lower the engine in front? It looks like the front cushions were not compressed, when the engine was installed.

[55 Rescue Dog]

Pictures would sure help, otherwise it only a guess. They normally do not sit level anyway since the carb is what should be close to level, with the engine pointing down up to 4 degrees.

[Histoy56]

I couldn't get a good reading on the carb without removing it, so I put my angle gauge on each of the valve covers. They each are pointing 6 degrees upward at the front.

[Rick_L]

Question for you.

Is the front of the engine too high? or is the transmission too low? Check that out. Much easier to raise the transmission if need be.

[Histoy56]

OK Rick L. I'll show my ignorance here. I have my car sitting on 4 wooden blocks so it is level like when I'm driving it. I put my angle gauge on the drive shaft and the transmission is 2 degrees higher than the differential. I don't know how to determine if the transmission is too low. Is there a measurement I should check, when using a 350 transmission?

[Old Buzzard]

No reason to use both the ft and side mounts.
Before you start moving the engine look at the steering link.
It may be jacked up to clear that.

[Histoy56]

OK. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Rick_L]

The engine crankshaft/transmission output shaft should be 4° down in back relative to a level main frame rail. The fan should be parallel to the radiator support when this is the case.

[Histoy56]

Thank you Rick_L

[Histoy56]

I removed the front motor mount on the passenger's side. I loosened the 2 side mount bolts and loosened the exhaust flange bolts. Then I jacked up the transmission and installed a 1/4" shim to raise the transmission in the rear. The fan blade isn't perfectly straight with the radiator now, but it's close enough to provide adequate clearance at the bottom of the radiator for my 17" steel fan blade.