Work complted 2/8/99 and 2/9/99:
Well, the engine is 'mounted' in the vette!! I just finished making the adapter templates last night. Unfortunately, the only aluminum scrap I could find was 3/16" plate and the piece was too short by about 2". Plus, it is aircraft aluminum and VERY hard!! My drill kept walking even though I centerpunched, used a pilot drill and sharp drill bit!! Anyway, the short plate length meant that the front motor mount hole is only half there. But, this still allowed me to see what need to be done for the final piece. The two front engine mount holes will require countersunk screws to clear the vette motor mounts. Also, the material will have to be thicker (3/8") since the holes will have to be tapped instead of through holes. I also plan to bore a 3" or so hole in the center of the plate to lighten it.
I tried to make one plate that would fit both sides. But, two of the holes are just too close to the edge for this to work. Precisely cut notches should give clearance while allowing for maximum material thickness. I'll probably have to make wooden templates for the actual pieces (which is what I shoulda done in the first place) and then machine the final pieces from aluminum plate.
Finally, the water neck and heater outlets had to be removed. I'm thinking that some 90 degree fittings won't be difficult to find/fab.
Oh yeah, I checked on Boris' '68 big block Corvette and the oil pan hangs just as low as the LS1 oil pan does in this car. I may want to make a 'skid plate' in case of accidental contact with the road surface.
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