the cab is finally mounted. thats the stock cab that came with the truck when my friend bought it. you can see that the wheelbase is almost the same but the track width is ridiculous. sorry about the fuzzy pictures, you get the idea anyway. the engine was dropped in place without any regard for the cab whatsoever, so pretty much the whole firewall and half the tranny tunnel had to come out. almost half the engine is actually inside the cab. if you imagine where the original engine was mounted this is a much better placement from a weight distribution standpoint.
a new double skin firewall and tranny tunnel is getting built from scratch out of sheet metal and heatshields are going on the header/collector. the engine will be plenty accessible where it is, and removing it is as simple as undoing four bolts (motor mounts and tranny crossmember) then pulling it out with an engine hoist. the engine cage going around the engine will be flanged in the right spots to permit removal of the engine.
What tranny is he going to run. I assume a auto th350 or 700R4, but it would be wicked to see a 4 spd in there
i've been bugging home to run a stickshift, but he doesnt want to hassle with getting a clutch and figuring out what he needs. he's just gonna stick to the TH350 thats in there right now. the tranny mount is already made and done. i have no idea what kind of shape that tranny is in though, i'll probably end up rebuilding it for him, those things are really simple as far as auto's go anyway...
Thats pretty nice. I always wanted to take a car, strip it entirely, and build it from the ground up my way.
In the early 80's I had a '66 datsun PU with a built 327 rat in it. To do any of the work on the engine, I just unbolted it and hoisted it out. That way I was able to keep it totally spotless and get in the engine compartment to shine the polished aluminum fender wells and firewall. My firewall was double walled with insulation. Most the added heat in the cab came from underneath.... them floorboards would get pretty warm.
