engine and pump alignment help

[apollo18]

I have searched this forum for the answer and didn't find what i'm looking for. Could someone point me in the rite direction? I replaced my stringers so im starting from scratch. My pump is already set and i want to get the motor back in and I'm not sure how to get everything straight. Any and all help and pointers including pictures will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advanced..

[MWJSOne]

you should be looking at 1 to 3 degree tilt if you replaced your stringers to match the old ones.
Drop your engine with the mounts and some blocks of wood this way if you need to drill holes you can get things near perfect.
The front should be higher than the rear and the rear of the block alinged with the pump use a compass to get the right pump angle.

[Xlration Marine]

You can put a level on the top of the carb, and watch the bubble. Is it a 3 or 4 point mounting system? 3 is easy to work with,4 is a pain in the ---.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

You can put a level on the top of the carb, and watch the bubble. Is it a 3 or 4 point mounting system? 3 is easy to work with,4 is a pain in the ---.
Only if you are certain the top of the carb is level with the crankshaft, which it very often is not.
Just the bubble is not very accurate for the roughly 2 degree angle you need for u-joint survival, unless you can figure out the bubble travel that angle moves it to. That is reasonably doable, just would need to be done.

[apollo18]

its a four point mounting system. I was also wondering and i could be thinking to much but do you have to compensate for the weight of the engine possibly pushing down on anything making the holes not align ? Im just worried about drilling holes in the stringers with the engine hanging from a cherry picker and than dropping all the weight of the engine on the bolts and it not lining up.

[BrendellaJet]

Best to use a bare blockfor this. I used a bare block with an aluminum pole centered in the mains to line things up. In my situation I had to add some lift to the rear so the oil pan would have sufficient clearance over the pump bolts. Take your time and measure lots before deciding on where to drill. As far as the weight of the engine causing the holes to sag(will happen over time) I have seen some people make brackets that hang off of the top of the stringer to solve this problem.

[YeLLowBoaT]

having one of these makes it alot easier...
http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/sum-g1022.jpg

[Xlration Marine]

Rail kit. They work the best. And easy to set the angle with.

[apollo18]

A rail kit would be ideal. Does anyone make one for a olds 455?

[firstjetinMN]

Yes....try Dana Marine

[CVX20]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d117/wickedrister/April2007126.jpg
Hi Apollo
I have the same problem with my old rebuild. This is my first try and I have a bunch of questions about how to do things. I also have a bare hull with no stringers and I'm going with a chevy rather than the ford that came in the boat. I really don't want to mess up when the new stringers are installed, that would be bad. I plan on fabbing up a semi-rail system for the motor plate mounting legs to rest on. The way I see it if I run plates down the inside of the stringers and let the motor mount legs rest on them it will take big time stress off the mounting holes. I made the $400 investment and got a plastic mach-up block. It is a 40lb exact matching gen IV 454 replica. That is what you see in the back of my pick up. One person can lift it in the boat with the motor plate bell housing and pan on it. I hated to spend the $$ but didn't see many options on this one man back yard project. Will come in handy plumming and rigging up everything on the engine stand while the machine shop is building the motor. Good luck and keep us posted!
Fred