!980 Grand LeMans Safari

[tdvick]

It's got to be closer. Does it look like it will go now?

 

[crazy'boutOlds]

yes, it is closer, but still off, a little.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Try raising/lowering/twisting the transmission tail from side to side to line it up?

 

[Hickson856]

I stuck a big car 400 out of 69 into my 80 LeMans and didn't know those adapters even existed. I ended up using the original motor mounts for the engine sitting it into the frame, leveling it and moving the tail on the transmission like others have mentioned to get it to line up, marked the perimeter of the motor mount with a soapstone onto the frame, pulled the motor back out, made some measurements, drilled new holes and bolted the mounts in that way. I know the way I did it sounds rediculous and that's cause it probably is, but it sits pretty now.
And as far as the front frame of your lemans, if its still not sitting right, as others have mentioned keep moving it this way and that, making sure the transmission is lining up right and every thing is still operable (shifter linkage, I had to move my motor forwards so that still worked without hitting), and it seemed as though the frame that the motor sits in isn't symmetrical, maybe it's just me or the frustration level I had reached but it seemed that where you have the absolute center of the frame, the angle that goes up to the left to the frame rail didn't match the angle that went up to the right. Check it out for yourself, I did it with a level and a plumb-bob but like I said, at this point I could've just reached a point of haziness where nothing seemed to make sense.

 

[tdvick]

I take it that your reply in the other post offering the 301 mounts up for sale means that you've given up on the Pontiac motor? That's too bad...

 

[crazy'boutOlds]

No, they were the same ones I already have.
It's been raining for the last 7 days here, so it's on hold 'til this weekend.
I'm going to try and loosen up the mounts and hope that works.

 

[crazy'boutOlds]

I finally got he darn thing in
Now I have two days to button up everything.
I'll take a pic in the morning. It seems to be sitting crooked(spelling).
Hopefully it will look correct when all is tightened down.

 

[G-Body_Vet]

I finally got he darn thing in
Now I have two days to button up everything.
I'll take a pic in the morning. It seems to be sitting crooked(spelling).
Hopefully it will look correct when all is tightened down.

What ended up being the problem?

 

[crazy'boutOlds]

I'm not quite sure. I have the bolts threw the mounts, but now, I can't get them to line up with the welded nut on the other side?
I loosened one mount and was able to wiggle it in to get the bolts threw the front side of the engine mount.
I got the driveshaft backe in, frame extension bolted in, dual hump crossmember and transmission mount installed, linkage and speedo cable.

 

[G-Body_Vet]

If you just have to line up the weld nut so it will thread, it should all be downhill now. There's a lot of ways to do it. A buddy with a pry bar, block of wood & floor jack under the oil pan for a slight lift, engine hoist hooked up to the problem side to lift it a little, maybe jack up the trans a little? Just play around with it. The hard part is over. These cars have years of wear, twisting & tweaking on them so things don't always just line right up.