FastFloridian Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 On 8/11/2026 at 8:23 AM, 74_5.0L_Z said: I love my front plate/mid plate mounts. It opens up lots of room under the engine and stiffens the front structure. The downside is that you hear and feel everything from the drive line. I’m not too familiar with plate mounts, I looked it up a few months ago after looking at your engine bay pics and wondering what that plate was for 😆. Was it easy to attach to the frame? I’d have to take my accessories off, but it’s a good option if I can’t make the cradle work. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 The front plate mid plate set-up was way easier than regular motor mounts. I originally used stock mounts, but switched to the motor plates when I decided to make it purely a track car. The front plate is 1/4" aluminum and sandwiches between the water pump and timing cover. The rear plate is .090" steel and sandwiches between the block and bell housing. The front plate on mine attached to tabs welded to tubes at the front strut towers. The mid plate is attached to two tabs welded to the frame. I use a regular rubber transmission mount. You can buy front and mid plates for the SBF that have the water pump and bell housing bolt patterns already machined. The plates come with a lot of extra material that allow you to trim to fit about anything. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 (edited) A few pictures from the last time the engine was out Edited August 13 by 74_5.0L_Z 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFloridian Posted August 16 Author Share Posted August 16 (edited) Started working on the cradle this weekend. Laine’s design was a good starting point, had to change some of the angles to work around the apex subframe bracing, but it looks like the 1-1/2” square tubing will work. I’ve got it tacked together now to test fit. I need to do some more measurements and figure out the where to put the vertical part and the correct angle. Hopefully get it wrapped up next weekend and then test fit the motor the following weekend. Edited August 16 by FastFloridian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFloridian Posted August 23 Author Share Posted August 23 Picked up a drill press on marketplace and started drilling into this thicker metal for the engine brace. Got the two pieces that will connect to the engine mounts drilled and bolted up to the engine to try and figure out the angles to attach it to the brace. I made some marks and will cut it and drill it next weekend. We got a lot of rain so I spent most of my time trying to adjust the front suspension. I got one of these wheel fitment things a few months ago and it was saying I needed some negative off wheels to fit I so started adjusting the track width to get it close to a normal offset. Lots of adjusting the toe/traction/camber arms but I think I got it in a better spot. I’ll start shopping for wheels later this year. I have a set that will work temporarily, but are narrower than what I want. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 I still have struts on all four corners. Because of this, I am limited to how much backspace I can accommodate with my wheels. All four of my wheels are 15x10 with 5.25" backspace. I run 3/8" spacers up front and none in the rear. So, a 15x10 is actually 11" wide, and a 5.25" backspace is equivalent to a -.25" offset. If you look at the steering geometry of the strut suspension, I have a fairly significant scrub radius. Having a large scrub radius causes a couple of problems. First, the tire sweeps forward and backward as it goes though the range of steering motion. This can cause the tire to contact the fender / air dam. Second, if you have sufficient caster, the tire will rise and fall significantly causing weight jacking effects. If I had the sla front suspension, I would try to adjust to fit the wheel with the most positive offset that I could get. This would minimize scrub radius and maximize control arm length. You will get less weight jacking as you turn the steering wheel, and the wheel will rotate about a point closer to the center of the contact patch. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFloridian Posted August 25 Author Share Posted August 25 17 hours ago, 74_5.0L_Z said: I still have struts on all four corners. Because of this, I am limited to how much backspace I can accommodate with my wheels. All four of my wheels are 15x10 with 5.25" backspace. I run 3/8" spacers up front and none in the rear. So, a 15x10 is actually 11" wide, and a 5.25" backspace is equivalent to a -.25" offset. If you look at the steering geometry of the strut suspension, I have a fairly significant scrub radius. Having a large scrub radius causes a couple of problems. First, the tire sweeps forward and backward as it goes though the range of steering motion. This can cause the tire to contact the fender / air dam. Second, if you have sufficient caster, the tire will rise and fall significantly causing weight jacking effects. If I had the sla front suspension, I would try to adjust to fit the wheel with the most positive offset that I could get. This would minimize scrub radius and maximize control arm length. You will get less weight jacking as you turn the steering wheel, and the wheel will rotate about a point closer to the center of the contact patch. LearningA New Language Online Good info, thanks. That’s certainly my plan, but good to know it’s the right plan and has some good reasons behind it. I just knew a positive offset was better for tracking, just not necessarily why. I may have asked before but what size tires do you run and if you could, would you go any wider? I was thinking of 305s for the tires and wheel width of 11”, maybe even wider. Still plenty of time before I’m ready for wheels, but starting think about it a little now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatout Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 (edited) 1 hour ago, FastFloridian said: Good info, thanks. That’s certainly my plan, but good to know it’s the right plan and has some good reasons behind it. I just knew a positive offset was better for tracking, just not necessarily why. I may have asked before but what size tires do you run and if you could, would you go any wider? I was thinking of 305s for the tires and wheel width of 11”, maybe even wider. Still plenty of time before I’m ready for wheels, but starting think about it a little now. There is a point of diminishing returns on tire width. It varies greatly with many factors tho so no one size fits all. Its a balance of contact patch, corner weight and suspension geometry. The double a arm front will allow for a good amount of adjustment with caster, and KPI that we can't get easily with struts. Edited August 25 by flatout 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 I run 275/35-15 Hoosier or Avon 23x10.5-15 on all four corners. That size works pretty well and is the limit that I can run with struts and the SubtleZ body kit. If I had the SLA suspension, I would use wider wheels limited only by the body work and tire availability. I feel like 10 inch wide front wheels are perfect for these cars, but the rear could use a little more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFloridian Posted August 30 Author Share Posted August 30 Made some progress on the engine cradle. I should be ready to drop the engine in and mark where to attach it to the frame. I’ll be using some angle iron to sit on the frame so the cradle will be welded to that then bolted to the frame. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 (edited) Have you mounted the headers to the engine while on the engine stand with the cradle in place? It will be much easier to clearance your cradle before everything is in the car. Edited August 30 by 74_5.0L_Z 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFloridian Posted August 31 Author Share Posted August 31 6 hours ago, 74_5.0L_Z said: Have you mounted the headers to the engine while on the engine stand with the cradle in place? It will be much easier to clearance your cradle before everything is in the car. Autos& Vehicles Nope, smart idea. I’ll do that next weekend. I’ve got some shorty headers, but if I need to get a new exhaust I might go long tube. Not sure if the old exhaust clears my new fuel cell, I need to check on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhm Posted Friday at 02:07 PM Share Posted Friday at 02:07 PM (edited) On 8/25/2026 at 11:34 AM, 74_5.0L_Z said: I run 275/35-15 Hoosier or Avon 23x10.5-15 on all four corners. That's pretty much where I've ended up the last several years. I know some people prefer a staggered setup; but I really much prefer a square setup, for tire rotation and replacement purposes. Very much enjoying this build, and the ongoing discussion in this thread! 👍👍 Edited Monday at 02:56 PM by jhm Correctness/Completeness 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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