By now, you guys should all know that I’m never one to leave anything alone. It doesn’t matter if it’s new, old, broke, not broke, good lookin’ or ugly. If I can get my hands on it, it’s never gonna be the same. Now, sometimes this can be a good thing—if it’s broke I often fix it. If it’s fine, I often break it—then fix it. And sometimes I even have to mess with it just to make it work—sometimes.
Speedway Motors is often my go-to source for classic truck and hot rod parts, accessories, and hardware. They nearly always have what I’m looking for right in stock and the stuff I’ve purchased through the company has always been of high quality. That said, I’ve performed the “Rizzo touch” on many of ‘em—and sometimes even successfully I might add.
Well, this time around I ordered and received a really high-quality engine mounting kit from Speedway Motors. I’ve been using Speedway products for a good 35 years now and I honestly don’t recall ever returning anything other than items I’ve ordered incorrectly. Now, that’s not to say that I haven’t sliced and diced more than my share of Speedway wares in my day. But it’s always been to make something work for something it’s never been designed for. The following is a perfect case in point. The engine mounting kit that’s the subject of this story is an item designed specifically to allow the installation of a small-block Chevy into a ’55 to ’59 Chevrolet pickup. And out of the box they’ll do just that—handily I might add. But, this is me we’re talking about here, not some enthusiast who goes by the book. As is the case with almost everything I’ve constructed, my ’57 Chevy small-window was sliced and diced as soon as I got my greasy mitts on it. And sometimes the slicing and dicing has been necessity rather than a whim—but not often.
This is one of those rare times where a bit of modification was actually required not just desired. And though the Speedway engine mount kit in question was perfect for its stated use, it wasn’t ideal for a truck that’d been subjected to the Rizzo touch. The aftermarket IFS system I’d installed required cutting out the original front crossmember and the partial boxing of the frame. The boxing and crossmember are what necessitated my day of slicing and dicing because the mount kit was specifically engineered to fit an unmolested frame—and as I’ve said, no vehicle I own sits unmolested. So, though most won’t run into this situation hopefully it’ll give you an idea of how an item that almost works can be transformed into an item that does work—with a bit of imagination. CT
The focus of this tale is a Speedway engine mount kit PN 720-4771. It’s an engine mount and bracket kit designed to be used to install a Chevrolet small-block into a ’55 to ’59 Chevy pickup. The instructions accompanying the kit are easy to understand and follow—for those who read instructions anyway.
