Simple & effective engine mounts

One of the cars I bought about a year ago had a fairly cobbled together frame, this winter I decided to take it apart and make some things right - start with these ghastly giant cut-from-another-car engine mounts.

I made the replacements with items that I had in my shop and using the existing ones as a guide since everything measured up as it should. I removed one mount then put engine in, measured and levelled out then created teh new one. Once I had one side created and installed I removed the other old one then created that side.

There is still more I am doing with the frame, including xmember, some boxing, patching, etc but at least this part is done. May not be up to some of the real pro's but I'm happy with it.

Drivers mount removed, passenger still in place.


Welded square tube to round tube, which was heated and oblonged for a little bit of adjustment.


Upper support plate, plasma cut out of flat stock.


Mount ready to be installed.


Side by side with old ridiculous thing.


Welded in.


Both sides in.


Engine in.

 

Nice fabrication. I'm still at the pre-fabbed motor-mount stage. I might get brave one of these days.

 

Looks a million times better.

 

Nice work,vast improvement.
Mark

 

Great job man, and the speed holes will help cut the wind resistance

 

Nice and clean, like those

 

Very nicely done and they didn't come from a catalog. A guy who BUILDS his car. Thank you!!

 

Is there a rubber isolator hidden in between the tubing and the bolt? LOVE the design, but curious about the vibration isolation.

 

nice job, i jsut might have to re-do mine

 

Thanks for the compliments guys, much appreciated.

It hits the factory GM mounts on the engine.

 

clean and simple, very nice

 

Are you using cross steering? Is there room for steering box? Can't tell by pics... I like the simple but effective mounts though............

 

Yes the steering box fits right next to the drivers mount, you can see the box in the first pic.

 

It's obvious you have NO idea what you are doing... Nice work!

 

I assure you it's all smoke & mirrors.

 

Here's a shot when I started tearing down, you can see the steering box and the linkage. This is nowhere near as tight anymore as it was in this pic with those old nasty mounts in there.

 

Looks good. You might want to consider some front-to-rear gusseting. That engine weighs A LOT when you punch it or have to slam on the brakes. If it was all solid you probably wouldn't have to worry, but that factory isolator will let the thru bolt twist a little if the mount tries to bend.

 

Nice and simple... What a difference it makes. Well done.

 

I still have to build the crossmember, when I do that I have plans for some fore/aft bracing when it gets tied together.

 

Nice mounts!

 

Man that is a vast improvement great work!

 

Mounts look great. Wish I had a plasma cutter.

 

I love having a plasma cutter, it's one of those tools that you kick yourself for not getting sooner.

For what it's done for me it has more than paid for itself.

 

Is the bracket on the upper left of the engine for an alternator or generator? Short or long water pump?


Thanks,
Ed

PS- Nice work on the brackets.

 

Not a critique, but a suggestion: the factory had those frame mounts designed with a pad that would allow the engine to rest on the frame mount, the bolt existing more for location than actual holding.

The way you have that set up requires the bolt to hold the weight of the engine at all times. Add a pad, and the weight rests on the frame. AND the bolt becomes a LOT easier to put in/take out.

Cosmo

 

It's an alternator bracket, and I don;t know if it's long or short, never measured it and I'm new enough to SBC's to not recognize it off the bat.

I hear ya, and I was contemplating that alot when I made them. The pad does slightly rest on the oblonged tube, I can put the bolts in when its sitting on them, but more of a flat surface is probably best. I did make some small round discs when I made these that I was going to weld on but I ended up not using them. I probably should huh?

 

Short pump will almost touch your timimg cover, viewed from on top, the long pump will have a gap between them and the casting will be different in a few places for accs. Even the fan bolt pattern is different on alot of them.

 

Also the factory engine mounts you have, have a way of retaining the engine in place just in case the rubber gives way, without the pad "previous pad meationed above" it might be able to swivel the safety feature from the mount. You don't want that. I've also found most of those mounts to be made else where if you know what I mean. Don't take any of this advice wrong, because I think you are making a vast improvement over the old one's for sure. Just trying to keep you safe...

 

Great advice and I am not taking any of it for granted. These are the first mounts I have ever made so a little direction is appreciated. I will see what I can sneak in there without too much obviousness.

 

Interesting use of a Falcon/Mustang/Cougar/Maverick/Comet steering box mounted in stock style position and steering down the side rail by moving the pitman arm 90 degrees on the sector shaft rather than the usual ahead of engine mount cross-steer or upside down mount with pointing up pitman arm for fore-aft steer.