Not sure where you got the "5 degree rule". When building a car (I have never built a truck) you first put the engine and trans in the car.............then level the motor/trans so that the angle of the tailshaft of the trans is approximately 3 degrees down...........now with the car under load (on the suspension) the center of the pinion should be 3 degrees up..........................the angles really need to be the same..........if you put the pinion angle up 5 degrees you should have the tailshaft down 5 degrees.......................personally I think 5 degrees is too much. So, I would put the rearend end, put the perches in unwelded and clamp the rearend just like was mentioned............then I would spot maybe 2 welds on each side fo the perch and do the final welding when you get the motor and trans..........................or weld it at 3 degrees up on the pinion and when you get the engine and trans in try and make it 3 degrees down. If that fails I guess you can use shims to bring the rearend in line with the transmission...............................I don't like using shims, but it's your truck..................................IMHO
Got the 5 degree rule from the article on fordification.com. There was a link to the article in post #1. Was looking for confirmation of that rule here but instead got convinced not to use it. What I've done before is to level a transplanted engine using the carb mounting surface of the intake (hope there's a surface on the EFI intake to use) and let the tail shaft point where it will. Didn't know enough be to concerned about the pinion angle. So, now I'm thinking the mod motor mounts with the CV crossmember will establish the front height of the engine and I'll try to mount the transmission so its close to the transmission hump in the floor. If there's some surface on the EFI intake that looks like it should be level, I'll look at that too. Hope I won't have to mod the trans hump to make things fit right but I will if necessary. Then measure the tail shaft angle (down) and set the pinion angle (up) to match it. Maybe I should measure the angle of the balancer pulley on the engine in the donor vehicle before the engine comes out since I'm not sure there's a level surface on an EFI manifold. Getting the balancer pulley back at the same angle should work as well as leveling the intake. Sound right?
On an EFI motor you don't really have to too concerned about having it perfectly level. On a carb'd motor especially aftermarket intakes and not set level with the motor, and can be 2+ degrees toward the front of the motor...........so when you level on the intake pad your tailshaft is already at 2+ degrees down anyway............What I have always done when transplanting and new motor and trans in a car is to get it centered, then get it pretty level.........put a level on the intake manifold pad.........then go underneath and check the angle of the pinion (which is more important than having an engine perfectly level) and go at least 3 degrees down. The same when putting a rearend in the frame. On my quickchange rearend I actually set up a jib and put the pinion angle up 3.5 degrees......and welded the ladder bar setup on............crossing my fingers..............and I was within .25 degrees.........which is close enough for a hot rod. Checking the balancer is ok, but I'd check more than one car especially if the vehicle has been hit hard. Loved the Mod Motor in my Mustang Cobra............
I could measure the angle of the balancer pulley in the donor car, use that as the trial pinion angle and tack the spring perches in place. Then try to get the tail shaft at the same angle. If the tail shaft comes out different, break the perches loose, set them right and do the final weld. Initially I was thinking about using a Mark VIII DOHC. But, the 5.4L Triton has 350 ft lb of torque at 2500 RPM!! Would really like to find one of those.
you have to consider what type of drive shaft u joints are you using. if you use the traditional 2 u joints and one piece shaft your supposed to have the pinion angle 2 degrees down from the motor. if you use a constant velocity joint on the trans end and u joint on the diff end you need to point the pinion right at the rear of the trans. if you build a 2 piece shaft you need to point the trans at the support bearing. you can measure engine angel on any surface that it parallel or perpendicular to the center line of the crank shaft.
It sounds like you've got the plan down......................and it should work fine. The Mark VIII is a good motor and very similar to the Cobra DOHC with the exception on the intake/exhaust...........which is worth about 25/30hp less than the Cobra intake/exhaust. One thing to keep in mind with the Mod motor is that a custom exhaust system is not really needed unless you are going to pump it up over 400hp..........I used the FMS shorty headers and BBK long tube headers with just a little more than 20hp more than the stockers.................................so don't waste money here. If I didn't have this six cylinder stuck in my brain, that would be the next motor I'd like to get my hands on...............so many things and such a short amount of time...............................let us know how you progress. http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=12763
Bryant is certainly right, I guess whenever I think about drive shaft/Ujoints, I just naturally think about a 1 piece unit........................
Just one drive shaft with U-joints. When you say 2 degrees down from the motor, would that be down from the crank flange center? Thanks for your help.:Handshake
I've drooled over the Ford Racing 5.0 but the price is way out of my budget. Also their Windsor 427 stroker. Just put a low ball bid in on a state surplus (drug confiscation) '99 F150 with 5.4L Triton engine. Have no idea where I'll put it if by some miracle I have the winning bid. Good tip on the headers. Was thinking I'd try to get long tubes on it if ground clearance is acceptable. If FMS shorties are that good, no need for long tubes.
Sorry, I should have given you more information about the headers. The shorty headers were only good for about 7hp over the stockers, and most of that was over 4500rpm until red line at 6500rpm. The long tubes were about 13hp over the shorties and the power was from 4000rpm up to red line. The cast manifolds are not that bad..............but I think spending $400 for the shorties or $600 for the long tubes is kind of waste of money unless you are trying to pull over 400hp from the Mod motor.......IMHO Good luck on the Triton........... One other thing just to keep in the back of you mind, the weakest links in the Mod Motors are the rods and pistons...............some forged pistons and H Beam rods make the shortblock almost bullet proof....since the cranks in the DOHC motors are forged and the mains are cross bolted.
it the center line through the motor and through pinion shaft that needs to be at 2 degrees like this if it makes any sense.
Hope the Triton exhaust manifolds are as good. Think it'll need about 330 RWHP to get into the 12s and beat my buddy's Trailblazer SS. That would have to be phase 2.
