Hey guys, I have a sedan I am hot rodding and will be using the stock frame (boxed and reinforced). This is my first time building a hot rod, so I've never been through the process before. I'm about to the point when I need to decide where the engine (SBC) and trans (th350) will sit and need motor mounts and a cross member. It seems that they are cheap enough to buy as opposed to making. Does anyone recommend a style/brand motormount and crossmember? Also, I remember an article on the hamb that had a drawing that shows where everything is laid out and measurements from different locations. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, that would be helpful too. I've been taking pics along the way and hope to make a build thread as I go along. Thnaks for the help!!
Might want to get ALL the parts that attach to the engine, or determine where the engine has to sit, mocked up in place before you weld the mounts. Body, radiator, fan, exhaust, steering, etc.
Depends on what you require to suit your build, older Hurst type front style with doughnut mounts or OEM style side mounts? What make and YOM (1930). I've used engine tubes for side mounts on my cars and fabricated trans X-members to suit. As Jim stated, it's best practice to mock everything up in situ with body etc mounted to check clearances/interference with other components, will the firewall need to be modified? Measure twice, cut once and get the angle correct, then there's front/rear axles and exhaust, steering column and shaft, pedals: The list goes on as everything is relative. e.g. I used dual outlet Fentons on my SBC; with side mounts; the engine tube had to be widened tube due to relocate mounts as things fouled in OEM location. I wanted to use a Hurst mount however the AC compressor interfered. It's mounted down low and out of sight, gets damn hot down here in summer!
Use either, the newer engine block side mounts, and a tailshaft crossmember, or early front of engine block mounts, and the '55-57 bellhousing mounts, are two methods.
I am just finishing up welding in a k member. The plan is to flip the firewall, lay the frame out with the axels in place and wheels on there, put the radiator in place, and put the body in place to see where it should all go together. I figure this is when I would determine where then the motor mounts, cross member, and brackets for the radius rods and trailing arms should go. I'm not 100% sure of the year of the engine right now, but the mounts mount from the sides. The headers go straight out so that shouldn't be a problem. The only steering column I have is the original one. I could use that to mock it up. I figured if I had brackets, I can mount them to the motor and tranny, and mark exactly where they need to go. Like I said, this is my first go around so all of your advice and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Well, you built a pretty decent k member, build your own mounts. Put the car together, run down to your auto part guy, buy a set of stock gm motor mounts for the block, set the engine in the chassis, block it solidly where it fits best. Cut some tubing to fill the gaps, spend some time making them so they look pro, then mount the transmission with a stock mount and a piece of tubing across the chassis to sit on. Easy as that, done it lots of times myself.
Got these from the ever popular epay, used them on probably 5 cars. About $60. Not worth the time it would take to make them at that price
When it's just a hobby you can spend all the time needed to get it like you want it but when you are having someone else do it it will only be as good as when the guy decides he has stopped making wages.
Cradle mounts are the best if you can make it work...adds another structural member ..great for high horse power..
Yep i can't make 2 of those in an hour, and carve out the rubber insert, then shit the sleeve that goes in it. Sometimes ya got weigh out the best option. While I'm waiting on those to come in the mail, i can be working on something that pays lol
You can make your own, or buy the universal types and modify them to fit your needs. I prefer to make my own than to use the universal mounts, but your experience may be different. Click this link for ideas on motor mount brackets. If it doesn’t take you there, just google “Hot Rod SBC Motor Mount ”, then click on Images (instead of it taking you to ads to sell the brackets). https://www.google.com/search?q=hot...VolnIEHbXFAKMQ_AUoAnoECA4QBA&biw=1539&bih=828 I recommend the following steps: 1. Put the firewall/cowl on the frame and bolt it down. The cowl goes in relation to the radiator and they are basically “where they have to go and cannot be moved” if you plan to use a hood and fenders. If you’re building a hoodless/fenderless vehicle, you can move these to suit your needs, but otherwise, the radiator and cowl have a set fixed location. 2. Rough place the engine and transmission using blocks or engine hoist to place it. Bolt on the exhaust and ALL of the accessories to include A/C compressor if you plan to put in heat and Air. You can cut out the firewall and make a recessed firewall easily. There are multiple posts about recessing the firewall here on the HAMB, use the search feature. The fist link I post below is probably one of the best Model A Build Threads lately, but my personal favorite Model A firewall recess is the one made by Dirk35. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/rebuild-of-my-1928-model-a-tudor.1135981/ This post shows how I did my firewall. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1928-29-one-piece-firewall-anyone-make-them.1180803/#post-13419181 3. You need to have all of the steering, brakes, clutch figured out. If you don’t have that yet, now is your time to place those because you have to move the engine around them, or them around the engine. Make sure you turn the steering both ways to check that it clears each side AT FULL SUSPENSION COMPRESSION. Make sure your brake pedal/clutch and master cylinder clear the engine/valve covers/exhaust with space for engine movement and heat expansion. Make sure your fan clears the radiator and upper and lower radiator hoses. 4. Now, you’re finally ready to make your motor mount brackets. 5. If you make your own motor mount brackets, my method is to bolt the stock cushioned mounts to the block, then I make a piece of 1/4 inch plate that bolts to the outer face of the motor mount. Then I make another piece of 1/4 plate to bolt to the frame. I usually use pretty large bolts, drill 4 holes in the frame, then weld nuts to the frame flush with the face of the inner frame rail, then bolt that piece of plate to the frame rail. Then I use either more plate, or thick walled 1 inch tubing and bridge the gap between the two. Tack it all together, pull apart and weld em up. You if you use plate steel to “bridge the gap” you can add holes to the plate to make them look pretty. 6. Then step back and marvel and your ingenuity. High-five yourself if you don’t have a buddy helping you. Hope this helps.
The least expensive motor mounts you can buy are still many times more expensive than anything you can build, and maybe not as strong too! I've never purchased a pair of motor mounts for a hotrod build yet. I simply buy whatever engine mounts I want, and then tack up the frame mounts once I get the motor sitting exactly where I want it. This iss not just to save money, but also to get my engine and trans exactly where I want them, and not be hindered by whatever the aftermarket frame mounts dictate I situate them.
I’m not aiming this directly at you, but I hear this a lot. Thing is many of us just work on things as a hobby, we don’t have a “gotta get it done by Tuesday and on the road” when working on projects. Most of us (IMO) don’t track billing labor. I liken it to if you do, and it’s your day off from work, do you subtract time when you watch a ballgame on TV, etc... i/e it takes me a full weekend to setup the contact pattern on a rearend. Sure, I could spend the money for a shop to do it, go work OT at my paying job, but that’s work. Doing it myself gives a personal satisfaction. With respect to this thread, I’ve no issue spending a day making a set of mounts (or 6 ) to get what I want, but I don’t charge myself anything. Time spent is not relevant to many of us. Heck, I’d be “time ahead” just buying spring perches for a rearend. Open the box, weld them on and be done with it. But I’ll spend an extra few hours mounting up some box tubing in the drill press, hole sawing them out and making them fit.
Seems in my old age after even the smallest projects I'll commonly say.......... "Cripes, I could have built a house in the time this took".
I never work for free. In my hobby I am working for visceral satisfaction. There may be times of heartache, aggravation and disappointment, but payday is fabulous. Even on your day job that needs to be part of the reason you are there, or you are just grinding yourself into a miserable SOB. That said, if you are doing it for a living or for side money, cost/benefit analysis has to be part of the equation.
Whatever you come up with make sure they are done right. There is a story around here of a guy that took his newly built T bucket out for a test beat. He hammered on it and a engine mount broke loose. This allowed the engine to tilt enough to tug on the accelerator cable which made it go full throttle. His natural reaction was to turn the key off. Problem was that he used a GM tilt column that locked the steering and straight into the ditch he went. He was alright but the car wasn't.
Must have been an early tilt column. Later GM columns wont lock the steering until you push the release lever to get to the lock position. That's the way the Chevy tilt column works in my '39.
Exactly ^^^ On an old car like an T for example I use the body to determine where the engine sits. Here is an example. I have been tinkering with a T roadster (may of may not be mine). I have a stock T chassis and a cowl with good cowl feet so getting the chassis/cowl correct is easy. There is just enough room between the original firewall and radiator to fit an SBC. Its tight but it will fit. Without the body set in place I could figure it out but its a whole lot easier with everything there.
Thank you so much for the advice! I have a 6yo and twin 2yo old daughters, so I don't really have time OR money HA Add the wife into the mix and its a very delicate balance! I have everything I need to mock up except the steering box. My goal is to have the suspension, engine, tranny, and body set on the frame mounted before it gets too cold ( I have to work outside bc the 1 bay garage is full of life). I figure that would be a good jumping off point for the spring. I won't have the car "done" for a while, but I plan to have it driving before summer. I was going to use the original steering box and column for mock up. Will that be completely off, should I get the steering box first or can I use the original until I get one?
I would say you will want to wait till you get a box. The f1 box is very popular and fits differently than the stock box. Also side steering is another option that changes things. Phil
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