Big Evil, here is my progress

[kaptinkaos]

Here are some pictures of my engine compartment from the time I removed the hood to current.
I have cleaned all the road grease off of & out of the engine compartment, frame, firewall, etc. Painted the whole area minus the fenders & fan shroud. The fenders will polish out & the fan shroud will get cleaned & painted once the electric fan is securely & properly mounted.
I removed the AC box located on the passenger side of the firewall & I'm currently fabricating a box to connect the hole in the firewall to the blower so my heater will work.
I've also redone some of the wiring harnass as well as fix some of those small things you can't get to while the engine is in there, like the windshield washer squiter motor & relocate the wires away from the engines heat.

[BIGEVIL]

WOW! that looks hella better. That giant a/c case removed makes the engine bay look not so cluster fxxxed.

I gotta say though, I have not had any luck with electric fans. I had those 2 pushers, and they still couldn't cool at a long standstill. Your new engine has what 600 ftlbs of torque? Put on a flex fan with a solid spacer. Its not like you are going to notice a lack of power. When it is 115 deg, you will be glad you did.
Give me a call if you need some help.

[kaptinkaos]

I have had a lot of input from ProCadCo & MTS on this engine build. (Mainly all the parts are from them). With the over/under drive water pump pulley's & reduced engine heat from the headers versus cast iron manifolds, the flex fan should provide enough cooling at idle in the heat of summer. Again, should being the key word.

I agree, the compartment looks bigger & clean without that AC box. I am happy it's gone just for the esthetics. Now it's time to make the new box.

Still looking for some one who can do a steel cowl on the hood without losing structural support, any suggestions?

[BIGEVIL]

A round hole just big enough for the air cleaner should keep the strength of the hood in tact. I haven't seen a steel cowl "add-on" just fiberglass. I suppose you could buy a cheap cowl hood from "godfathers" that fit a whatever and cut the cowl portion off of it.

[kshearsedriver]

I would offer to do the hood for ya but you are quite a distance away. I did what Bigevil is describing to put the Formula scoops on my '68 Bonneville hearse. I hate the original A/C box that GM put on their old cars. I iwll be removing it from the '68. Yours is looking good with it removed. Are you planning on putting an aftermarket A/C unit back in or leaving it heat only?

[kaptinkaos]

Putting an electric AC unit in the back in one of the fenders & plumb it under the flooring to the dash vents

[kaptinkaos]

Here is the electric fan securely mounted. It looks better as well since I adjusted the brackets.

[kaptinkaos]

The next stage, the new fan box is fab'ed up. It is not painted yet & the tape is holding it tight for the sealant to harden. But it gives an idea of what size it is & what it currently looks like.

[Custom Coffin Works]

Putting an electric AC unit in the back in one of the fenders & plumb it under the flooring to the dash vents

What is an Electric A/C unit? Got a link? I would like to put A/c in the back of mine.... Pictures even....

[kaptinkaos]

Here is the completed, sealed & painted heater/blower box.

An electric AC unit is a portable one similiar to the window units for the house. It's 110 volt but I have an inverter. But the one I have is to a little big, so I am going to use a Southern Air under dash AC unit & mount it in the back fender.

[BIGEVIL]

Looks almost OE !

[BIGEVIL]

If I had to do mine all over again, I probably would have gone with one of these. The "indoor" unit in the overhead console, and the "outdoor" unit hidden behind the subwoofer cabinet.

http://cgi.ebay.com/12000-Ductless-Mini-Split-A-C-Heat-Pump-Soleus_W0QQitemZ120324633497QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

[kaptinkaos]

I see those commercials on TV for those, but I don't have that kind of money at this point - but still an idea.
I thought it looked OE too, but everyone sats it's to shiny to be OE. It's fresh paint, give it a couple of days for dust to accumulate on it. But she is 100% air tight, no air loss around the firewall, blower box or joints. I hope she holds up, this is the first project I've ever made from sheet aluminum.

[kaptinkaos]

Here is the mid-plate, re-inforced 1/8" steel. The plain steel picture is the test fit around all the components & flywheel, the 2nd picture is after a few modifications & paint.

[BIGEVIL]

Looks very pro!

Where is the exhaust going to run?