While doing my normal uPay surfing I came upon this one;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-...07909460QQrdZ1



I thought this was an interesting way to mount an engine in a COE



It sure would free up room in the cab. I suppose once you plumbed the cooling system to the front and built a cover for the engine it could make a nice set up. I also assume there might be reasons why this wouldn't be a good idea. Let's hear them.

 

A perfect start for you truck racing wanna be's to build that Pikes Peak Hill Climb truck, or Dakar Rally truck. No better way to achieve that essential 50/50 weight distribution . Stu

 

I also assume there might be reasons why this wouldn't be a good idea. Let's hear them.

Looks Like a GM motor

 

Looks like a big block Chevy. It would sure open up space inside the cab wouldn't it. I don't see any problems with how its mounted. I've seen several COE's with the engines mounted behind the ccab like that with a bed built over them.

I think that the Chevy engine need to replaced with a big old Caddy engine, but then again, I'm a little biased.

So Bob, did you buy it yet?? come on, whats one more truck in the yard gonna hurt? It looks pretty clean

Bobby

 

It says it's sitting on a '86 motorhome frame. So maybe the motorhome had the engine sitting back farther?

 

I love that rubber hose for a transmission cooler. The trans wouldn't last too long!!! Of course the cooling system is not plumbed either.

Bruce

 

It looks to me like the mounts were welded to the frame, of course I can't see the picture quite that well either.
I don't really see what it would hurt as long as it gets an adequit cooling system. (engine/tranny)
It would shorten the drive shaft making it stronger, as long as it isn't to much angle off the diff or back of the tranny.
I would also agree with Truckdog that it would help get some weight on the back end.
Or atleast further back on the front.

 

I too have seen several of these mounted this way, I think there was one at the 2005 West Coast Nationals, check the pictures from that one. I even remember an ''A stake bed that had the engine under the bed and the original engine bay was a luggage compartment, pretty slick.

 

bobbytnm,

I think buying another project so soon after buying a "new" panel would be pushing it a little too far. I don't think my wife would be so nice to me and then

 

I saw that too while doing my EBay searching as well. It caught my eye because I want a 48-50 F-1 COE and it's just over a 100 miles away. I have seen some engines mounted like that before, but for some reason I would rather it be up front. It would make a great truck to build though. The BBC would be nice, but I would rather have a diesel in it.

hotrod48

 

I was thinking about doing the rear engine, but I'm putting a short bed on. the truck would be to long. so the best way for my is a front wheel drive and put it in the bed.

 

When I bought my '55 F100, I thought about putting the engine behind the cab, and making the engine compartment a front trunk.

Of course I had quite a few beers in me.

 

That is a cab forward design, not a cab over design. There is no reason to have the cab mounted so high, or for the space wasted in the engine compartment in that truck.

There is a neat cab forward setup that the major manufacturers have used that would look and work better if you wanted to mount the engine in that location.

We had one truck with the GM 454 in it - fill a 20 foot grain bed and you are down to 3 or 4 MPG, which is what some of the motor homes with the 454 get.

 

*****: im going to guess that the owner of this put it together with spare parts... Basically im guessing he had a RV frame laying around that he used and put his COE cab on..

then he used the engine/trans/driveshaft all from another normal sized pickup truck.. Which is why he mounted the engine behind the cab. Sounds like something i would do.. lol

 

***** B, while you are correct that this is a "cab forward design", untill 1957 when the "C" series tilt cab was introduced Ford called this a "cab over engine" or "COE". Hotrod48, if you want to build one of these give me a shout as I have one that needs a new home. Tom