Perry, as I have been told after asking this question, it really doesn't matter
all that much, but the preferred position is the engine to the back simply for
weight ballance. If you are doing a conversion, the shifter barely fits in the
hole becuase the TR8 actually had a shifter extension housing that was 3/8" or
so shorter. People either mount the engine foreward in the mounts, or cut the
body to fit the shifter better. Or the other idea is to find a TR8 shifter
extention (good luck as it took me about a year to find one) or to have your TR7
extension and the shaft within cut down and re-welded to fit. I think that you
can find the TR8 shaft though from Victoria British, just not the aluminum
housing.
Dan Carrington
perry robinson wrote:
>
> OK, dumb question of the day. When the engine is bolted into a stock TR8,
> does the "ear" of the mount bolted onto the engine block go in front of
> (towards the radiator), or behind of (towards the firewall), the mounting
> "ear" of the stock TR8 crossmember?
>
> Does it really matter? I have a TR7 with a stock TR8 crossmember, and
> assummed that the block mount would go behind the crossmember mount, just
> to move the CG back a VERY little. ALMOST everything fits, but I am using
> mostly stock TR8 parts, and noticed that I was having problems with
> radiator hoses fitting, and my exhaust fitting just right.
>
> Is there really a wrong way or right way? The very back end of the shifter
> housing just BARELY clears the tunnel reinforcement in the tranny tunnel,
> and the back of the heads clear the firewall and hood latch with the block
> mounts behind the crossmember mounts.
>
> Let me know what is stock position, and/or the "right"position
>
> Later!
>
> Perry
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