gene_w

You might check to see which way that engine rotates. I've known of a number of boat engines, including 351's that run in reverse from what a normal car engine does. If it runs in reverse, then you'll need to change that. I'm not sure what all that involves, but at least a cam for sure. Gene

No problem, but it will probably be next week before I can get out there to do it. Pretty busy until then and going out of town for the weekend. Gene

The front sump on my oil pan is behind the steering rack. Unfortunately, though, the sump was hitting the crossmember and would have either required the crossmember or the sump to be modified. Modifying the mount instead allowed me to slide the engine back a little bit more to where I think the sump will just clear behind the crossmember. I may have to cut a notch out of the back of the factory crossmember to gain a little clearance, but I'm not sure at this point. All I do know is that the engine's not going to go any further back. There's only about 1/8" between the head and the firewall! Gene

We talked a little bit the other day via AIM, so you probably already know my answer, but I'll post it here for the record. I've got alsil's motor mount on my Z with the 351W(not running yet). It is not a direct bolt-in fit. The front sump of the oil-pan will hit the Z's crossmember. Either the oil pan or the crossmember needs to be modified. I've modified my motor mount to lower the engine 1", which allowed me to slide the engine a little further back, and looks like it will allow the front sump to just clear. Gene

Actually, I already had one of those. It wouldn't help matters any. The front part of the pan came down almost as far as the fox-body pan that I have now. The problem is that the oil pump is up there, so the sump can only be shaved down so far. That pan also wouldn't work with Alsil's motor mount setup. The pan was hitting the crossmember part of the mount.

I'm not exactly sure what would cause the roller bearings to fail in the lifters. That is very strange. Hopefully any shrapnul caused by the bearings ended up in the oil filter. If I were you, I'd drop a couple new lifters in (maybe even the whole set just in case) and a cheap cam. I hear these are excellent cams, and cheap too! http://store.summitracing.com/product.asp?p=3789&searchtype=ecat You can get a set of used lifters for real cheap from swap meets or through ebay. Gene

Does spacing down the crossmember have any adverse effects on the handling of the car? I know that most people are moving the inner pivot point for the lower control arms up to counteract the effects of lowering the car. Spacing down the crossmember might be just the ticket for getting my oil pan to clear. When you say that your engine is mounted at a 2.5" angle, is that in relation to the ground or the frame rails? Thanks, Gene

You would be correct.

Are you using Alsil's mount or did you design your own? If it's custom, do you have any pictures? How far below the front crossmember is the oil pan? Thanks, Gene

Unfortunately, a 5L oil pan won't fit a 351W. The 351W has bigger mains than the 5L and so the rear of the pan has a bigger cutout in it. I assumed the front of the pan was the same, but apparently I was wrong! I see that my pan is very different from yours...wonder why in the world they would have designed the two pans different. Mine is a standard Ford pan from a Crown Vic. or something like that. Hmm...I wonder if a 5L oil pan front sump could be grafted in... I could have sworn that some other folks around here didn't have any trouble getting the 5.0 under the hood without any hood modifications. Do you have any pictures of how your modified hood looks? Thanks, Gene

How did you manage to get the engine far enough back to drop behind the crossmember? Mine is already back to where the bellhousing bolts hit the firewall. The only way to go back any more is to lower it down. Are you using Alsil's mount or a custom one? Do you happen to know if the front-sump oil pan you mentioned is that different from the dual-sump pans as far as clearance in front of the sump? I'd love to see pictures if you have them.

I'm thinking that's going to be my best option for hood clearance. This still won't solve my oil pan problem, but would fix my problem with the hood. I'm sure it will look noticeable to me, but hopefully you're right and nobody else will know the difference. I'm not sure how much I can modify the front sump, because that is where the oil pump is. It is driven off of the distributor, so that's why it's up there. When Ford came out with the Fox-body cars, they needed a rear sump, so they just made a dual sump pan. Only the rear sump is actually a sump. The front one is strictly for oil pump clearance. As far as I know, the oil pump isn't any different than the 5.0 unit, except for the bigger input shaft, so maybe I can cut/bend the front sump to clear. Anybody done this?

Shifter location shouldn't be too big an issue. If you get a bellhousing from a SN95 mustang ('94-'95), that sets the tranny back another inch or two. Be sure to get the transmission or at least the input shaft for the same year car because it is longer as well, to meet up with the clutch. Gene