weedburner
Well-Known Member
Back in the early '80's I decided to build a dirt latemodel car for our local dirt track. The class had an engine setback rule, basically the #1 spark plug could be a maximum of 10.5" behind the upper balljoint centerline. The iron 440 out of my '70 Challenger was going to make the car pretty nose heavy compared to the rest of the field with sbc's, one guy even had an aluminum block. With more time than money, I decided to get creative.
My solution was to install the 440 in the chassis backwards. The BBM rear spark plug is much closer to the back of the engine than the #1 plug is to the front, also turning the engine around moved the water and power steering pumps much farther back. It also moved the oil pump from the left front engine location to a much better right rear location. The tech guys complained that the #1 plug was now in the rear, but hard to argue when we bolted a stock intake with numbered intake runners on the engine backwards, stock intake then said #1 is up front. The net effect of the flipping the engine around was like gaining an additional 4" of engine setback. Radiator was also moved to the rear, in the deck behind the driver.
In addition to the backwards engine, I also moved the transmission much farther back with a 18" long input shaft. Drilled a couple holes along the crank/balancer parting line so I could add a couple dowels to serve as additional keys, then made a small splined hub that bolted to the face of the balancer to drive the transmission. Input shaft plugged directly into the hub, there was no clutch. Bolted the transmission to the chassis instead of the engine, eliminated the weight of a bellhousing.
Second nite out, they dragged what was left of the car into the pits on it's roof...
Same chassis after a few repairs...
The backwards engine also gave me a reverse rotation drivetrain, easy to account for by modifying the quick change rear. Basically, flip the spool and move the ring gear over to the other side of the pinion.
After breaking a few input shafts, I made a lite sheet metal case trans that had a motorcycle clutch in the countershaft. I still have that bellhousing adapter that went between the timing cover and trans...
As far as I know, the car above was the last BB Mopar to win a feature at our local track...
After a series of backwards BB Mopar cars, I built a double engine dirt latemodel powered by a couple Mazda 13B rotaries...
Grant
My solution was to install the 440 in the chassis backwards. The BBM rear spark plug is much closer to the back of the engine than the #1 plug is to the front, also turning the engine around moved the water and power steering pumps much farther back. It also moved the oil pump from the left front engine location to a much better right rear location. The tech guys complained that the #1 plug was now in the rear, but hard to argue when we bolted a stock intake with numbered intake runners on the engine backwards, stock intake then said #1 is up front. The net effect of the flipping the engine around was like gaining an additional 4" of engine setback. Radiator was also moved to the rear, in the deck behind the driver.
In addition to the backwards engine, I also moved the transmission much farther back with a 18" long input shaft. Drilled a couple holes along the crank/balancer parting line so I could add a couple dowels to serve as additional keys, then made a small splined hub that bolted to the face of the balancer to drive the transmission. Input shaft plugged directly into the hub, there was no clutch. Bolted the transmission to the chassis instead of the engine, eliminated the weight of a bellhousing.
Second nite out, they dragged what was left of the car into the pits on it's roof...
Same chassis after a few repairs...
The backwards engine also gave me a reverse rotation drivetrain, easy to account for by modifying the quick change rear. Basically, flip the spool and move the ring gear over to the other side of the pinion.
After breaking a few input shafts, I made a lite sheet metal case trans that had a motorcycle clutch in the countershaft. I still have that bellhousing adapter that went between the timing cover and trans...
As far as I know, the car above was the last BB Mopar to win a feature at our local track...
After a series of backwards BB Mopar cars, I built a double engine dirt latemodel powered by a couple Mazda 13B rotaries...
Grant
