Successful day today! Got the motor, trans, front half of the driveshaft pulled. I tried to pull it with the front half of the driveshaft still attached... not happening. engine hoist simply wont lift enough to get the proper angle. By far the most aggravating gas sedan engine pull i've ever done. the motor is like 9 miles long!

had to pull it near vertical to get it out, not fun doing it by myself.



the plus side is..




SO MUCH room for activities. It's more spacious than I anticipated, and I finally got some measurements on the motor height. With the carb, no air cleaner, the SBC is 25" top to bottom. the m104 from valve cover to oil pan is 27". perfect. I am absolutely 100% going to have to cut the center section out of the cross member, but whatever is lost will be found in the weld in cradle I have.

Also looking at the steering linkage (which was my main concern..) The center linkage is literally the only thing that will get in the way. I'm thinking I'll just make a drop linkage. drift bros do it all the time for more steering angle. basically some heim joints into some round stock, a tubed sleeve and some bolts. will allow it to function as intended and I dont have to run a front sump oil pan.

so yeah..

heres the heart in all its glory!





who wants to guesstimate on what its worth? runs fantasically albeit has a couple leaks.

I probably wont start dicking around putting the chevy motor into the benz until this weekend. I want to roll the benz out of the garage and hose the hell out of the engine bay, as you can see, OK dust and years of oil leaks were not kind to it.

While we're on the topic of it.. How much of the crap thats left in the bay can I get rid of? all the misc vacuum crap and emissions crap? I basically just want to keep the heat and HVAC functionality, I'm pretty positive its just the white vacc line that runs by the brake booster?

I'm probably going to have to lose the AC, which I don't think works anyways.. but thats what sunroofs and windows are for. Power steering will remain a mystery. The vette pump is HUGE. it may actually work to keep the pump where it is, and graft the bracket from the merc to the sbc. we shall see.