RE: Yellow Aircraft P-40 Engine?
Chris,
IMO, I would mount the engine and then build the mock up to avoid any possible misalignment. There is little to no room for error inside the cowl. You will not be disappointed with this route, as everything will fit just right. You also may have to make some modifications to the front end of your engine box for the larger engine, depending on the footprint of the mount. I ended up making an additional front mounting plate to fit my custom engine mount plate, as the stock plate hole locations just missed the inside of the engine box. The rear intake on the engine presented a few challenges, but what the heck, I am always up for a challenge!! The choke and throttle servos are mounted above and below the fuel tank. The pushrods (rodchuck style) had a bit of an offset to avoid the fuel tank. I also made a fresh air intake from the stock location on the nose, to an opening in the engine box. With this addition, we are ensured that fresh, cool air is fed to the carb (see the attached picture for reference)
Good Luck.
Regards
Craig