The sbc350/sm465/D18 combo is in...cross-member mounting went pretty well. Starting to work on finalizing some of the accessories, lines hoses etc....
Figuring out belts...on the alternator belt, I don't know if I like this routing with the belt going around the crank and then up to the alternator and water pump....I could run the alt only from the wp (the wp would be driven by the ps belt)
And the behemoth 465 protruding up through the floorboard....the random GM truck shifter that came with it is functional enough for now. Its a bit close to the right leg but it will work for now - sometime later I can work on bending it more to the center. There is just enough room to get my foot to the gas pedal with the modified brake pedal....floorboard tunnel cover work is much further down the line, although I may have to expand the D18 shifter pin access/removal hole upwards. The D18 is in the same fore-aft and left-right position, but 1/2" higher than it was in stock configuration.
So, even though I did a bunch of test fitting, this is my first attempt at something like this, and finding some stuff I missed planning for etc. So current thoughts - I wish the entire drivetrain was pushed toward the passenger side just an inch or so from where it is now. Currently, the engine is shifted 1-1.5 inches towards the driver side - this gave a bit more clearance from the front passenger differential and driveshaft, but it also complicates things around the through the floor pedals and clutch fork. The mistake I am recognizing I made is I might have pushed things a bit too far driver side, as the huge sm465 is easy to get pushed too far into the driver floorboard affecting access to the pedals (which I figured out a bit ago), as well as the end of the clutch fork can interfere with the lower end of the brake pedal (this I am just recognizing and really, really thinking (hoping) its going to clear, but its going to be TIGHT!), and at some point, the exhaust will have to find a way through and under the area as well. If the engine were shifted an inch or to the right from where it currently sits (essentially putting it right down the middle), there would be a bit more room in and around and under the driver side floorboard, and I don't think the front driveshaft would be that big of an issue as the D18 would also get pushed to the right. The front diff to oil pan, as well as driveshaft to starter would be concerns, but I think it would be fine, and the extra little bit of space on the drive side would be helpful.
I smashed up the thumb on my dominant hand today, so we'll see what kind of tedious stuff I can work through tomorrow, but hoping to clean-up the area under the dash with various cable and wiring stuff. Clutch cable work as well.