• You can do a lot of modifications on a car engine.car engine image by itsallgood from Fotolia.com
  
  The 350 engine, manufactured by General Motors, is a very common engine type. For this reason, many custom car builders like to use it since it is cheap and plentiful. Adapting it to work in other vehicles, however, may take some doing. A builder has to know the outside dimensions of the engine to make sure there is enough clearance, or room, available in the engine compartment.
  
  

Length

• The overall length of the 350 engine is 29.42 inches. This is from the back of the flex plate to the very tip of the water pump. The flex plate is a round, wheel-like part that attaches to the back of the crankshaft. Bear in mind that if you use a shorter water pump, this length will be reduced slightly.
  
  

Height

• The 350's height is 22 inches. This is measured from the very top of the valve covers to the bottom of the oil pan. This, in other words, is the overall height. If you use a shallow oil pan, the height may be reduced. If you use a high intake manifold, the height will increase. The measurement is used as a benchmark since it does not account for aftermarket modifications.
  
  

Width

• The width for the 350 is listed at 20.08 inches. Since this is a V-8 engine, this is the measurement at the top of the "V." The middle of the crankshaft to the outside is 10.04 inches, making this engine symmetrical. You cannot alter these measurements because the engine block and heads are solid blocks of steel and aluminum and cannot be modified in terms of size. For example, you may be able to reduce the overall height slightly by using a shallow oil pan, but this width measurement you cannot change.
  
  

Crankshaft to Oil Pan

• Another measurement is useful for ground clearance design, the distance from the middle of the crankshaft to the bottom of the oil pan, which is 8.54 inches. The reason this measurement is useful is because the engine, the transmission and the drive shaft must all line up. If the car sits too close to the ground, the oil pan may hit the ground when the car goes over a bump. This can be avoided by designing the drive line with enough ground clearance.