C2 1963 Driveline Angle Engine Offset Pics

[Richard M.]

Since I had the hood off the 63, to change the battery and do a few other things(argh!), I decided to take a few shots of the offset characteristics of the engine/frame for future reference here......

I was having a cup of coffee sitting in front of the car when I noticed how the engine is set to the right..... panicked......did a search here and see that it's normal. Eyeball from the nose emblem to the interior mirror while referencing center on the AFB.

Phew!!
Rich

[Joe R.]

Re: C2 1963 Driveline Angle Engine Offset Pics

It's just a way for those silly engineers at GM to get back at us cause they could not afford to have a Corvette!

I just cannot believe they would do something like that on purpose, do you!

Just wait, Duke will tune in and give us the mechanical advantage on less than ten pages.

JR

[Richard M.]

Re: C2 1963 Driveline Angle Engine Offset Pics

.....Maybe to offset the weight of the driver? It's so odd when you look at it.
Rich

[Harry S.]

Re: C2 1963 Driveline Angle Engine Offset Pics

Best I can recall it was offset to provide leg room for the driver.

[Stuart F.]

Re: C2 1963 Driveline Angle Engine Offset Pics

Harry;

You are indeed on the right track. As I recall, the column was also on an angle for driver comfort/space.

Stu Fox

[Michael H.]

Re: C2 1963 Driveline Angle Engine Offset Pics

Since I had the hood off the 63, to change the battery and do a few other things(argh!), I decided to take a few shots of the offset characteristics of the engine/frame for future reference here......

I was having a cup of coffee sitting in front of the car when I noticed how the engine is set to the right..... panicked......did a search here and see that it's normal. Eyeball from the nose emblem to the interior mirror while referencing center on the AFB.

Phew!!
Rich

Yup, it was intentional Richard. While almost all passenger cars and 53-62 Corvettes have the engine and drive on center in the chassis, there were several reasons why it was a good idea to move the entire engine and drive toward the pass side for the new design 63 Corvette.
There was also one reason why it had to be moved about an inch to the right.

Some of the benefits include a slight weight shift to the right that would offset the weight of a driver and distribute the total vehicle weight equally left to right. (desireable for racing)
Increase driver compartment area dimensions.
Make it possible to use an existing steering gear housing design. (space between gear and engine)

But the reason the move was mandatory was because of the design of the new independent rear suspension that required equal length drive shafts which allows equal geometry side to side through suspension/wheel travel.
Since the differential housing, by design, was not symetrical, something had to be changed to eliminate the requirement for the long/short axle design used on other cars that moved the drive line to center.
Moving the entire engine/drive was the easiest and most logical approach and it included the other benefits mentioned above.

Or, maybe it was just an error on the original engineering drawing.

[Jack H.]

Re: C2 1963 Driveline Angle Engine Offset Pics

As I recall, Zora went to great pains to try and make Corvette with a 'neutral' weight balance proflie (both tip to tail and side to side) presuming a single, normal weight, driver inside. Hence, the offset of the power train.

When the BB came along, the offset was even more to the RH side hence the dual depressions for harmonic balancer clearance in the front cross member. It's supposedly the reason why 'bolt on' items (alternator, battery, AC compressor, Etc.) also shifted around in the engine compartment relative to 'standard' Chevy passenger car norms...

[John H.]

Re: C2 1963 Driveline Angle Engine Offset Pics

A similar situation existed on the 1st-generation Camaros ('67-'69); small-block cars had the engine on car centerline, but on the big-block cars, the frame mount brackets moved the engine 1" toward the passenger side to get clearance between the left side exhaust manifold and the steering gear.