Been a fairly busy day today, I got the Mock Up Ls1 and Keisler Rallye Sport 5-speed in the car today. And made sure we are going to have clearance for the Dual Core Aluminum Radiator and Puller Electric Fans. The motor sits nice and low to ensure the center of gravity wouldnt be affected, but not affect ground clearance. The oil pan actually still sits above the rocker panels, so we should be able to run these things at what ever ride postion we desire.. The transmission also sits nice and tight to the body, so ground clearance there will not be an issue at all. The Motor is also in a position where the performance and handling should be great, and just to be sure, I will have the weight distribution measured before hard weld everything. A half inch here or there can make a difference, and now is the time.
Swedish Ops is working on a pre-fabbed or some sort of easy firewall mod kit for these applications, but I am not sure if we will make them available on the market. We should have them in stock for our Special Builds Department cars, incase someone wants to possible get one.. This would be strictly on a case by case basis...
I still have to set the Drivetrain running angle before I build the LS engine mounts and transmission crossmember. With the drive train in it current position, all the engine service is easy, and you can replace the starter and oil filter with no issues at all. Altenator and the Ac Compressor will drop out the bottom with ease also, so I dont think it is going to get much better than that.. I still have a couple of things to sort out, but all and all, it looks like it is going to come together and service nicely.
Please keep in mind, these are the preliminary rough in pictures, nothing is finished out or dialed in.. Yes, I know the radiator is too high, I put it there to ensure I have electric fan to water pump clearance no matter the engine position.
Also, this is not the actual motor being used, we have a New Crate LS1 for the build, but I like to keep them clean for final assembly, that is why we use a fully accesssorized take out motor for mock up. Just wait until you guys see the engine and engine department covers Swedish Ops (Special Builds Division) will be using to clean and updated everything under the hood.
