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TR4/4A tr4-what angle is the engine at???

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trfourtune

Jedi Knight
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Hi all,
question for tr4 owners, Can anyone tell me what angle the engine is at relative to the frame? If the front frame of the car is perfectly level, the engine will be slanted,front to back, relative to the frame. Can anyone tell me what this is?
thanks
Rob
 
I believe it is pretty flat, maybe a slight down angle. Then again mine might be hosed, so I'd get other people to jump in.
 
I'm pretty sure its at least 5 degrees (maybe?). I'm working on my header design and i need the numbers to get it right. My engine is not in the car so i need help.
R
 
It does drop front-to-back. You may want several data points as the condition of the motor mounts (and I suppose the tailshaft mount) may affect the answers.

Rather than try to measure degrees (which may be difficult) I would just lay a carpenter's level on the valve cover and see how much of a gap is at the rear when the level is trued. I say 'would' but I am not home until Friday.
 
OK, I've got one of those magnetic pendulum protractor thingies and mounted it on the frame in a couple of places to see how the frame sat in the garage. It was just about perfectly level. Then I mounted it on the top of the valve cover, and it measured about 4 1/2" degrees. Since I just got done with a complete resto, all the engine and tranny mounts are new...however, I do have a Toyota gearbox conversion, and those mounts are different then original. I imagine that Herman from HVDA got it pretty close to original, so your 5 degree estimate is probably pretty close.

I know when I put the header from Moss on my car, they must not have taken that into consideration, as the header pointed down a few degrees with the engine and trans installed. What a pain it the butt that was getting the angle right. It took a couple of trips to work using the acetylene torch even though I tried to be very careful making a cardboard template. You may have to fine tune as I did once everything is in the car.

Edit: I know I have a TR3, but the frame to engine relationship <span style="font-weight: bold">should</span> be the same as the TR4. Of course, that may be a wild assumption! :laugh:
 
Thanks Art.
That is how i would do it (as long as the valve cover top is parallel to the head). I hope the original angle is maintained with the toyota box and will use this angle. If anyone can confirm this with an original tr4 box with overdrive i would appreciate it. I have the latest HD motor mounts and feel that there might be a minor difference but as fas as the design goes, the fabrication can make up a small deviation.
Rob
ps-I'll post a pdf once i get 95% complete.
 
There are a couple of different styles of motor mounts that have been used as well. Which ones do you have? My car had the round ones but I put square ones on when I changed them, because that is what the book said a TR4A used. The square ones lower the engine some, decreasing the angle, and making it difficult to change the fanbelt.
 
my 1962 tr4 has round motor mounts and the new HD ones are round. My first header design, i had the angle at 4 degrees +-. I made a cardboard template for the first design so it was close (i had the engine in then). I think the new motor mounts will raise the front of the engine slightly compared to the old ones so increasing the angle.
Rob
 
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