Gearheads everywhere can relate to mating season. That's when you're building a kit car, custom classic truck, musclecar, street rod, or racecar from the ground up, and you put the new engine and transmission together, place it in the chassis, and install the body on the chassis for the first time ever. Sure, you're bound to encounter some mishaps. Perhaps you procured the incorrect clutch alignment tool from the neighborhood auto parts store. Or maybe you had to search several different auto supply houses for an engine leveler that would work with your Hilborn EFI setup and Summit Racing engine hoist back in your garage. Circumstances like these are common when working on your enthusiast automobile.
KIT CAR's editor and his dad have a half-finished project truck they began when said editor was the feature editor on sister publication Custom Classic Trucks. The truck consists of an all-new Steve's Auto Restorations custom-fabricated steel 1933/'34 Ford roadster pickup body, an SAC Hot Rod Products fully boxed and custom '33/'34 chassis, a Smeding Performance 427 stroker engine from a Ford 351 Windsor block topped with Hilborn EFI, a Tremec TKO600 five-speed manual transmission, McLeod components to mate the engine with the trans, and fasteners from ARP and Dark Horse Performance.
When we were confident we had accumulated all the components to begin putting the DreamSmith Drop Top Truck together, we contacted some old mates for help, both family and friends, and went to work. Given the pickup's high-performance construction-all-independent Kugel Komponents suspension, 555-horsepower/557 lb-ft 427ci Smeding Performance engine, and Tremec TKO600 five-speed manual transmission-the DreamSmith truck's theme is prehistoric Cobra roadster pickup. Watch over our shoulders in the Smith garage and witness the Ford coming together.
From left to right are Dan...
From left to right are Dan Smith, Linda Sands (my girlfriend), Ken Smith (my cousin), and the author. We're all grins since we successfully installed the engine/trans in the SAC Hot Rod Products 1933/'34 Ford custom chassis. Steve's Auto Restorations' prototype 1933/'34 all-steel Ford roadster pickup body went on its custom foundation for the first time with ease after the drivetrain found its new home.
The Hilborn EFI-topped Smeding...
The Hilborn EFI-topped Smeding Performance 427ci stroker mill, McLeod dust shield, clutch, pressure plate, scattershield, hydraulic throwout bearing, Tremec TKO600 five-speed manual transmission, and Grade 8 fasteners await assembly. Read on to find out how we did it.
According to the McLeod instructions,...
According to the McLeod instructions, we had to drill out four holes on the Tremec TKO600 aluminum transmission case that attach the trans to the McLeod blow-proof scattershield from 7/16-inch diameter to a more beefy 1/2-inch. The cordless drill in our garage didn't have the torque to do the job, so we sought help from the experts: Auto Power Machine, Electric & Repair Service in Oceanside, California. Keith Stover drilled out the four holes, while Kevin Payne held the transmission steady.
One of my good mates from...
One of my good mates from Down Under (New Zealand), Mark Williamson, greased the pilot bearing.
Without a proper bearing press...
Without a proper bearing press tool, we used the appropriate-sized socket (1 1/8-inch) and gently pressed (tapped) the Dark Horse Performance Ford Racing pilot bearing into the crankshaft opening in the back of the engine.
In order to slide the heavy-duty...
In order to slide the heavy-duty McLeod engine dust plate into position on the back of the Smeding Performance Ford 427 stroker engine with ease, Mark put grease on the dowel pins as per the McLeod scattershield installation instructions.
As promised, the dust shield...
As promised, the dust shield fit perfectly.
Before fastening the Grade...
Before fastening the Grade 8 dust shield bolts and lock washers, the Kiwi liberally applied Loctite on the threads; better safe than sorry, gearheads!
Skilled mechanic and former...
Skilled mechanic and former Mini Cooper amateur rally driver Mark hand-tightened all the dust plate fasteners.
He tightened the bolts further...
He tightened the bolts further with a socket wrench.
Mark tightened the dust plate...
Mark tightened the dust plate bolts to 25 lb-ft of torque with the torque wrench.