This week he is installing the motor. It will require massaging the fire wall to clear the oil filter. I will be going over next week again to have a look see.

I read back a couple of pages, but I can't see where you said what motor you're going to put in.

617 turbodiesel with 123 five speed.;)

I'de get rid of the factory hockey puck compressor and vaccum pump and run the 4x4 chevypickup power steerin/vaccum pump and rollguys sanden bracket kit.

Roll guy's sanden kit is destined for it soon.

T, my brother and I attempted a power plant swap in a 1974 Vega. We attempted to put a boat motor in, that's right, I said boat motor. A friend of my Aunt gave me a Chevy II Mercury inboard motor. The only problem besides the obvious things was that the oil pan needed to be reversed in order to miss the rack and pinion steering of the Vega. :D

Did you get it done?

We did, but it lived a short life. We had to find someone to weld the oil pan and rig the oil pump to work, Well that didn't work out so well, it leaked and burned up the engine before we could even get in car on the road. I was 17 at the time and let the motor run longer that I should have. :)

About twenty years ago I had this 52 Caddy. I had my favorite machinist, Homer, rebuild the motor. We were over at his house installing the motor one night and got it all in and hooked up. The radiator was not in yet but we decided to start the motor up to hear it run. We had both consumed some alcohol. I believe Homer may have had four rum and cokes. On the Caddy the upper radiator hose hookup stands straight up right next to the Oil filler tube. Once you take off the breather cap the radiator hose nipple looks about the same as the oil filler tube. I was hooking up the coil and Homer was pouring in the oil. He put in six quarts and said lets fire it off! I got in and hit the starter. The motor started immediately and idled smoothly. But the oil pressure warning light did not go off. I let it run for a minute and it did not come up. I shut it off. One of us pulled the dipstick and found it did not show any oil in the pan. We said WTF??????

Then we realized he had been pouring the oil into the upper radiator hose nipple.

But he had assembled it with so much assembly lube it did no damage.

yikes!

Last time I drank while doing significant automotive work!

I went to Anderson today and reviewed the progress. The 617 is a tight fit in the 39. The alternator and AC compressor are wider than the frame, so the frame will need to be notched. The oil filter is intruding into the driver's compartment so we'll have to use a remote filter (reluctantly) and I think I will have Michael notch the oil pan so we can move the motor forward a bit. It looks like we can keep the floor about the same as it was originally and the Mercedes driveshaft looks like it will work too but will need a slip joint added in front of the diff to allow for all the movement. (With all the fitment problems at the front I am tempted to put on a 33 ford nose and run cycle fenders but the 39 nose is so darned pretty!

What were the applications for the 617? Were there any uses that had different alternator + A/C compressor mounting bracketry?

Maybe.

Yesterday I ordered an oil pan kit sold by Koch Enterprises which should gain us some space at the crossmember/front pan, and a set of motor mounts plus some oil pressure gauge fitting adapters. it should allow us to move the motor forward, and up a little to provide room at the firewall for the Oil canister. We'll prolly have to notch the crossmember too.

You should maybe do the oil pump chain before putting it all together, No more removable bottom pan // but no more leak/seepage from that eliminated gasket too.

Good advice! I will probably do that.