HEMI Tech - Hemi Engine Mounts

Here are mine, they are from Hot Heads. Nothing fancy but they do the job.

 

here are mine, took the SBC out and didn't want to redo the frame so built mine to bolt back onto the SBC frame mounts

 

Here are some mounts that position a 1956 D500 Dodge Hemi in my 65 Barracuda Gasser project. Boxed the frame rails first and added more steel plate.

 

Since these hemi motor mount ears are so close to the front of the engine, would it be a good idea to have a rear motor mount at the bellhousing like the tri five Chevys had? It seems like a long way from the front mounts to a transmission mount.

 

...MaMopar didn't seem to think it was an issue...

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My plan from front to rear is a Hurst mount, blown 270, Dodge truck cast iron bell, Aluminum T5 trans and rear trans mount. Should I be concerned about the 4 Aluminum trans mounting ears being the weak link or not?

 

Worked just fine for 50 years in my '34, too.

 

Not familar with your build, what are you running? So ease my mind, are you running a cast iron motor, bell AND trans or are there any Aluminum components in between front and rear mounts?

 

Lon, I don't have any experience with the t5 so not sure how strong the case is but they have been swapped around for a few years now and not much chatter about case damage in your mounting style.
The t5 is fairly popular with the Flathead 6 folks and they have an even longer spread as well as an equally heavy, or heavier, engine.
Your 241 isn't really all that heavy.

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Thanks Gary for info, when you look at it that way it makes sence.
Here's an OT combo going in a OT project but it's all factory cast Iron. Had me wondering is all....................

 

Bringing up an old thread/discussion here but using a mount similar to the one in the photo above, is there any concern or problem with bolting through the lower two front cover bolts considering that there's a "soft point", the gasket, between the cover and the block? I just picked up a 241 a couple days ago and am thinking through mounting as well as a lot of other things.

I guess if Hurst built mounts like that they likely work out OK, but I was just wondering.

Thanks

Lynn

 

I am installing a blown 241-270 with a Hurst type mount, I dilled and tapped those timing bolt holes to a larger size and feel comfortable about it. I have more concern about the next mount which is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back there holding up the motor/trans combo. Thinking of using a mid mount also.........

 

Thanks. Going up in bolt size (to 3/8"?) sounds like a good idea. I'm thinking the front cover has a lip around the perimeter. Does that just get cut off and the Hurst mount bolts flat to it, or does it use some short stand-off spacers?

Regarding the length to the transmission mount, that's something I've thought about too. What kind of bellhousing and transmission are you using...cast iron or aluminum parts? I'm sure there are plenty hot rods running a Hurst type front mount and nothing between it and the transmission mount, but somehow it would still seem sketchy even though the 241 hardly weighs more than the "other" brand engine in so many cars.

Lynn

 

270, Hot Heads Aluminum adapter to a steel GM scatter shield to a GM 5 speed. Your still mounting the 5 speed on the 4 Aluminum dog ears. At 72 I "wonder about things that could go wrong" if I was younger again I probably wouldn't give it a second thought.........................

 

Thanks. Getting feedback from a happy user is invaluable! While on the subject of mounts, what combo of mounts did you use for the rest of the engine/transmission? Mid (bellhousing?) mount or did you span the distance and just use a transmission tailshaft mount? What kind of adapter (unless you're using parts that bolt directly to the Hemi) bellhousing and transmission are you running? Sorry for all the questions about everything but I'm a virgin to Hemis of any size and want to do things in a way that's been proven to work.

I have a T5 that would be my first choice to use, but I also have 2 Powerglides under the bench as a possibility. Three pedals would be nice, but an automatic would simplify things and save time, and that's becoming more important at 68 years old. Beyond that I'm open to consideration of other bellhousing/transmission combos that work well.

Thanks.

Lynn

 

The stock cover does have a lip but that's not the main reason for spacers, the oil pan stick out just as much. I made 3/4" spacers.

 

Jeff and brigrat....Thank you both very much for the thorough answers to my questions. The 241 Hemi I just bought is for the next project, a '30 Ford Coupe. I'm just building it in my head first so make eventual construction easier. I appreciate your replies and clarification!

Lynn

 

I have a thread on here Baby Hemi Meets S-10 5 Speed | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com) how I simply & cheaply built a S10 5 speed conversion from stock Dodge parts. I believe if you are going an S10 5 speed you will need to custom turn a pilot bearing for input shaft to reach crank for lack of better words. A Camaro T5 no problem.

 

brigrat....Thanks for the link to your thread about the conversion. It's hundreds of $$$ less than an aftermarket adapter package!

If I got it right, it has to be a Dodge truck bellhousing? Were manual transmisssions rare or non-existent in passenger cars? If they were made what are the things to look for to tell between the truck and car versions?

Looking at the photos in the link I wondered how you cut the hub on the front of the disc? Also, as I read it, you then used a S-10 input shaft to line the hub that was still part of the clutch disc and welded the section cut from the front onto the rear part of the hub to extend it toward the transmission?

I have a feeling Dodge truck bellhousings are not exactly common at swap meets? Does it need to be one from a Poly or Hemi engine truck, or is a 6 banger BH the same?

I'm really getting ahead of myself on this future project, but it's good to know what I can do, what parts to look out for and how to put it all together.

Lynn

 

As we all know you can never be ahead of a project! At some point all this has to be dealt with might as well sooner that later where it drags the project long into the build.
Hopefully someone will jump in with answers to your questions about truck verses passenger bells. I was lucky enough to have had the bell under my bench, was ready to toss it to make room when the idea of sitting the s10 trans on it and the light bulbs lit off!
As for the clutch everything works great but if I had to do it over I would have sent the welded up clutch disc to a custom clutch maker, as a mock up for them to copy. Didn't know about them till after the fact................

 

LAKE_HARLEY,

Just so you know, I have a bellhousing that came with a '56 Chrysler hemi that originally was in a Dodge dump truck (Dodge and DeSoto Hemi's have the same bell housing bolt pattern as '54 and up Chryslers). I have no current use for it, but I kept it because it looked like it might be useful. It is large and heavy, but I think they all are. I built a "T"-bucket in 1965 that had a 241 Hemi with a Dodge three speed, and that bellhousing was large and heavy too. As I remember, the input shaft for the transmission was about a foot long (I think that they used the same bellhousing as the semi-automatic equipped cars that had a torque converter in the same bell housing.)

Unfortunately, I am in Florida for the winter and the bell housing is in Minnesota. I plan to be back in April, so if you still need some measurements, etc. (or maybe even the bell housing itself) then, get in touch with me. The big problem I see with this is that I have never seen a modern transmission with an input shaft nearly as long as the one on the '55 Dodge transmission I used in the bucket.

 

Also the hemi based Polys & "A" Polys up to '61.

 

I'll have to get a firm mental picture of the bellhousing in the earlier posts, maybe a note too with a few measurements, and scour swap meets when they start. There's one near here in late Feb.

I'll keep your BH in mind tubman and thanks, George, for the tip on years to look for. Brigrat...do you happen to know about what the bellhousing that you used measures from engine to transmission?

Lynn

 

Got any leads on Motor mounts? I want to put my Chrysler 331 in my '40 Ford. Thought it would be worth asking you. Thanks, Gary

 

Is your friend still making early Hemi to Ford mounts. I have a 331 Chrysler that I want to put in a '40 Ford. Thanks, Gary

 

I'll try and see if I can contact him.

COVID put a real damper on his company and I don't know is he's still doing them or if his company is still in business. I haven't been in touch with him for a few months due to COVID.

I'll try and contact him tomorrow

 

They were made to align the through-bolt with the stock flathead mounting holes in the front crossmamber so all you'd need to source is a set of biscuit mounts from someone like Chassis Engineering (the best) or Bob Drake (not so good)

 

I have a 392 and using mounts from Butch's Cool Stuff for a LA small block to mount in my 39 Plymouth