2 Apr 2026 I received my exhaust manifold from BigR Motorsports, Renai Chip Givens, and I am excited to install it and re-fit the engine. This will be the first time that I can actually bolt the engine to the transmission once installed. Then I can fit check the exhaust system and the turbo package. The most important next step is to fabricate a set of engine mount blocks to adapt the stock engine mounts to the chassis mounting plates. My SVO engine has 45 degree engine mounts to be compatible with the Mustang chassis, which is designed around handling a V8 engine. The GBS Zero came with 30 degree mounting plates for whatever reason, that mount mostly inline 4-cylinder engines. So I needed to come up with an adapter to bridge the gap and get the engine at the correct height when installed. I had some 3x2 lumber left over from the shipping crate and I used my miter saw to cut a block with a 15 degree face. I made it just thick enough to accomodate the stock recessed bolt, about two inches. after drilling the recessed holes and some center holes for the 15 degree plates, I bolted the combination together onto the engine. After I lower the engine into the chassis I will confirm the overall height I will need (it will be pretty close already) and then have a machine shop make me a set of blocks, based on my pattern, out of metal. After that I can hopefully mount the engine for real.
You can see in the photograph a rough line on the oil pan just above the drain plug. That was my first guesstimate on where the pan would be exposed below the chassis. After I get the engine back in and figure out the exact height and mount dimensions, I will make a more exact line where I must have the pan cut, or buy a racing pan at that dimension.
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| It fits |
13 Apr 2026 Here it is a 10 days later and the engine has been in and out again. On the plus side I got both inlet lower manifold and the exhaust manifold mounted on the engine/transmission unit in the chassis. Also, the EDIS stub cam sync was in but I worried about hard contact with the frame brace just above it so I took it back out. There will definitely be an assembly sequence needed to make this all work. First, the transmission with the throwout bearing must be installed with the two top bellhousing bolts - because they won't clear the bodywork to get them in after. The EDIS stub will have to be installed before the engine goes in because once it is in the upper frame diagonal blocks the insertion of the stub (at lease once the engine is fully bolted down.) The crankshaft pulley must be installed after the engine is in the chassis but before it is bolted down. The turbo package must be asembled onto the exhaust manifold and then the manifold dropped into place with a support under it, to be then bolted to the installed engine. I do the math on the gap I need to fill on with the wood blocks I made to mock up the engine mounts. They need to be about 2 inches taller. I think I will build a revised set of wood blocks out of 4x4.
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| Turbo inlet spigot won't work in this orientation |
It's pretty tight around the turbo exhaust and the engine is not perfectly centered. I think some of that could be improved by moving the engine just about an inch forward in the chassis. I decided that in order to do that I had to enlarge the relief cut I put into the lower chassis rail back near the transmission mount. Also, the inlet spigot on the compressor angles out towards the frame tube, so it will also have to be changed. It looks like maybe the bolt pattern is symmetric, which means that I could just rotate the spigot 180 degrees, which would be much better. I believe the Buick GNX had the same turbo with a straight spigot so I could also use one of those.
So the engine is back out today and I put the relief cut into the frame. So now I just have to do the whole process over again.
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| Note the reversed turbo inlet spigot |
4/18/26 I've reversed the inlet spigot and brought the engine as forward as I can. The closest interference is at the transmission mount at the tailshaft case (reverse gear housing). At the moment I have 0.025" clearance at that point and about the same at the turbo exhaust downturn. There is an interference with the frame member on the driver's side where the transmission speedometer drive housing and plug are. I will see about trimming some material off the plug. I'm hoping that will let me lower the engine more in the rear to give me more clearance at the exhaust. The relief I cut into the frame is going to be fine; it clears around the transmission housing and bolt.
Bringing the engine/transmission forward by an inch lets the engine come farther to the right but it still is not centered. It will take more removal of material at the trans mount to achieve more but ultimately, the clearance to the turbo housing is the final limit.
I put the bonnet on in this condition and it just clears at the cam pulley and at the oil cap. But it does go on all the way. If I run a furring strp around the bonnet for cushioning and sealing then I will get a little more clearance as well. But the whole thing will work without any external bumps or blisters. That's a good feeling, for sure.
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