My son and are working on a land speed race car. We bought an existing car without an engine and are rebuilding it. Eventually it will end up with a vintage flathead Lincoln engine, but that engine won't be ready to race this year. So the plan for speed Week 2024 is to pull the 484-in Hemi out of my fast GTX and drop it into the land speed car temporarily. Then we can get out on the salt flats and get our rookie runs in and get our licenses.
This is a rear engine modified roadster. The engine, transmission, and rear end all sit on a swing arm behind the driver, kind of like a motorcycle swingarm that is hinged on the frame, and has coil over shocks between the swing arm and the frame structure way out back. The swing arm is 2x4 steel tubing. So I need to decide if I should drop this Hemi in with a motor plate, or build some mounts that will go between the swingarm and the original Hemi block mounts.
I've never ran a motor plate before. What issues would arise? Is it in the way of the oil pump and oil filter or any of that stuff? Since this is a one-year only deal, I want to keep it as simple as possible.

Thanks, Joel

A motor plate is usually fairly easy to fabricate but it all depends on the details. Doesn't look like you have a lot of room in that chassis for a water pump so you might be forced into a remote pump. You'll need to lower the engine block in there and see which will work better. The factory Hemi mounts work best if there are frame rails close to the block. The Hemi mounts don't work well if the mounts have to be very long. A motor plate works better if it has to reach out to the frame rails since a motor plate is much stronger in the vertical direction.

The rails are pretty close to the engine block. So maybe using the stock mounting points on the block would be best.

I have a front and mid- plate on my Hemi in my car. I have everything studed, so I can slide on the gasket, the front plate, the other gasket, then the water pump. All slides on in seconds. Also, simple to install and remove the engine out of the car easily by myself also.

The oil pump requires a small notch in the plate. But everything else bolts right on.
Doug

I like and use plates on tube chassis race cars
Much easier to RR the motors later for what ever reason

I've ran plates in street cars before. I've got one now. I suggest fore/aft limiters, I put them in my street car. The engines aren't light!!