To begin the job, the Energy...
To begin the job, the Energy Suspension backing plate had to be ground down a little to allow the center hump to fit inside the relief in the Speed Hound adapter plates.
But the Murfins are not using the requisite T56 manual transmission. Instead, they opted to use the 4L60E automatic transmission, the most common tranny bolted to LS engines from the factory, in the '67. This choice actually complicated things a little, since most swap kits are set up for the manual tranny swap. In order to mount the 4L60E, there will have to be some chassis modifications. The LS1 engine came out of a '99 Camaro, complete with the harness, computer, trans and accessory drive. While the F-body (Camaro\Firebird) oil pan and accessory drive works well in the C2 chassis, the A\C and power steering components were swapped out for newer better fitting pieces from Street & Performance.
The motor mounts shown here...
The motor mounts shown here illustrate the clearancing that had to be done to the plate and adapter. You must use Energy Suspension mounts with this kit on a C2.
With the motor resting in place, the 4L60E transmission clearly would not fit as is. The C2 chassis features a welded-in crossmember, and since this was a four-speed car (yeah, it is being converted to an auto), it is not even close. In order to get the drive angle where it needs to be and mount the tranny, the crossmember would have to be notched and a plate welded in. While this might seem a little tricky, it is actually quite simple, and most builders should be able to handle the task.
If you want to replicate our results, you will need a piece of 4x3 1/4-inch angle steel, about 8-inches long. This will be used for both the notch insert, and the scrap can be used to fill in the boxed section, making for a nice clean install. The crew at Red Line Auto Sports managed to get the motor dropped in, mock up the mounts and perform the fabrication in a single day, so a lazy weekend would easily see the job through.
| Difficulty Index - 3 Wrenches |
| Anyone’s Project: no tools required | 1 Wrench |
| Beginner: basic tools | 2 Wrenches |
| Experienced: special tools | 3 Wrenches |
| Accomplished: special tools and outside help | 4 Wrenches |
| Professionals Only: send this work out | 5 Wrenches |