When Elvis sold the car, the subsequent owners installed a 327 and raced it. It was painted red, tail lights were modified, front turn signals removed, and several other originalities changed. BMW restored the car to exact standards including using the original drivetrain. That’s the correct BMW v8 in the restored car, not the SBC.
I befriended a gentleman who owns the sister car to Elvis’ and had it restored by BMW, and as a matter of fact, his car is one of the ones being worked on in the video of Elvis’ being restored. He bought his from his friend who owned both of them. He’ll be invaluable information for me once I get going on the project!
I would think along water pump would solve the clearance issues. I’ll probably call them and chat to get some answers!
Cheers
Dave