A Body 440 Swap Clearance Question

Hey folks,

I'm swapping a 440 into my 1974 Plymouth Valiant using the appropriate Schumacher swap kit, torque strap, and Tri-Y headers.

The instructions and craftsmanship seem to be excellent and the install went well.

Question: There is only about 1/8" clearance between the passenger side header and the inner wheel well. Does that sound right? When I crank it over is that motor gonna rock right into the inner wheel well? If that doesn't sound right, any suggestions from people who've performed a 440/A Body swap before?

I can provide more info if necessary.

Thanks all!

I built a 70 Duster with a 440. I used the Schumacher kit and HP exhaust manifolds. There is not a lot of clearance in there. Not sure which headers you are using, but if you could find a set of the Schumacher tri-y headers, that would be a big help. I had to shorten the outer tube on the steering column 2 inches to use the manifolds I had. The passenger side manifold fit but I don't think I had 1/4 of an inch clearance. If you use the torque strap, that should help with the engine moving around. If I were to do it again, I would use a 400. The low deck engines give you a little more wiggle room.

1/8 " is tight, and unless you have solid mounts & a torque strap, too tight.
Check to see if the engine is level.
Might need to rotate it a bit on the mounts so as to drop the left/raise the right.
My RB/Duster setup was TTi headers on Indy heads, more room than that.

Two tips from a guy that has owned two 440 A-bodies with different headers.

Install a solid motor mount on the drivers side, you will need it.

Make holes in the passenger side inner fender so you can run a socket and extension through to change the spark plugs on that side.

Thanks so much for the feedback.

I've put in a message to Mike at Schumacher for some extra support too.

Alaskan: Holes for the spark plugs is a brilliant idea!

Topside: The engine isn't quite level and is lower on the passenger side. I think I'll start with loosening the mounts and trying to rock it down on the driver/up on the passenger. There isn't a lot of room on the driver side though...

Yes, things are that tight and every build is a little bit different. I had to shim the bottom two studs on my master cylinder to get it off the manifold in my Barracuda. Didn't have to do that on the other two cars we put a 440 into with the same manifold. Right side manifold is touching on mine (need to massage the inner fender a little more).

Jim: I've also been thinking that if I can't rock the motor on it's mounts to balance it a little better, I may need to push the inner fender a little bit. Have you used a roller and hammer from the engine-bay side or drilled from the wheel well and pulled out?

Thank you

I can't imagine just reaching in and moving the engine by hand: a cherry picker makes that so much easier...
Engine really should be level side/side, however you can do it.
As far as drilling aprons for access, be sure to accurately locate from the engine side.
Hole should be big enough to get the plug socket through to make it quicker & easier.
#4 and #6 were a bear on my deal with the TTi headers, #6 being the worst, but I don't know what you have.

I've already massaged it some from the engine side. I'll probably remove the manifold and massage it some more...

Topside: I'll definitely use my engine hoist to try and shimmy it into a better position! I can't move that thing by hand in my dreams...

Mike at Schumacher got back to me; super helpful guy. Here is some info that I thought might be useful for anyone in the future. He said: "The measurements that we go by are from the drivers side frame rail to the center of the crank @ 16 1/8", this will give you side to side figures. The engine height is measured from the center of the crank to the top of the K-member @ 5 1/4"."

I measured my situation and found that I'm 16 3/16" crank to frame (1/16" too far passenger side) and 5 1/8" crank to K-member (1/8" too low).

Did you try using the shims that come in the Schumacher kit? I had to shim it a little and it worked out fine. Also you can spin the rubber isolators 90 degrees to change the position.

Thanks for the suggestion RT! Unfortunately, 1973 and up are spool mounts instead of biscuit. So, the shims won't help.

Anybody ever raised the passenger side mount with some kind of spacer? The passenger side mount is essentially a bolt that sits in a perch. It isn't captive at all. I thought maybe I could find a way to raise it with some kind of spacer sleeve...

Definitely try loosening the mounts with the engine supported by a cherry picker. See if you can get things a little more level then. Slant six or V8 k-member? From what I understand neither kit (for a 6 or 8 k-member) require any modification of the passenger side mount saddle. I do know that the V8 kit requires cutting off the driver side saddle and drilling a new hole for the large bolt. That hole may be slightly too high...

/6 tp B/RB. No modifications to the passenger's side mount were needed according to instructions.

I'm going to try using the cherry picker to adjust it next week (while I'm there I'll re-measure the driver's side hole location).

I'll update then. Thanks all!