Quote Originally Posted by rspears View Post
The 351 is about an inch wider than the 302 due to the taller deck height. A shorty water pump helps, but the SBF is still going to be tight, and the 351 will be tighter. If it were mine I'd strongly consider stretching the frame a few inches instead of setting it back in the firewall. The cockpit is cramped enough without pushing the engine back, and if done right the longer hood actually looks good. People will see a difference, but will be wondering what.
Ain't it the truth????? I have never been able to figure out what all the fuss is about with longitudinal clearance in an early car. Stretch the freakin' frame!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
The wheelbase on my T roadster project was 117" to make room for a 429 Ford with all the OEM cooling system in place in front of the motor, cooling through a Walker 4-core brass/copper radiator which was centered in the front tires from a side view.

Freakin' about this is about as silly as using a Chevrolet power steering pump on a Mustang II IFS and then jumping through hoops to reduce the pressure so the pump has a better chance of matching the pressure required by the MII rack and pinion. In the name of all that is holy, fabricate mounts to put the MII pump on the Chevy motor and be done with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!