motor mounts pissing me off--help!!!

[megaladon6]

trying to put in polyurethane motor mounts, the problem is they won't go in. i can get 1 side bolted in but the other side sticks out too far. WAY too far. i've tried leaving the mount to frame bolts loose but it's not nearly enough. same with using a screwdriver through the mount to engine hole. anyone else have this kind of problem? any tips would be greatly appreciated

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Hmmm..... Well, I have an idea that may or may not be practical depending on how far apart your car is. Loosen the clamshells off the frame, but do not back off the bolts to the point the nuts are off the bolts. Now, with the engine lifted up an inch or so, and the clamshells separated, install the through bolts and install the nuts loosely. Now drop the engine down and tighten the mount to frame bolts, then do the through bolts for the biscuits to the engine mounts next. That should do it.

 

[megaladon6]

tried it. there's not enough room to connect both mounts. what i'm going to try next is putting in longer bolts to the frame and seeing if i can suck the mounts into place then replace the long bolts one by one.

 

[dougfather]

If you are using Energy Suspension motor mounts, follow the directions as they fit only one way!! I am assuming you are working on Chevy Small Block mounts for a G-Body. I replaced mine and required a little bit of finess to get those on. You may need to put them in a vise and tire wrap the shells together.

 

[megaladon6]

it is a sbc going into a chevy and they are energy suspension mounts.. i've got them matched up to the original mounts, and directions, and the clamshells are held together. i think it's stopped raining so i should be able to make another attempt.

 

[megaladon6]

well i finally got the fu%king fu$kers in :evil: went and bolted them to the engine side, put one long bolt in the D/S, then jacked up on the header on that side and it twisted the engine enough to get the P/S close. used a punch to lever the mount in place and hammered a bolt in there. then went back to the d/s. between pulling the trans tail over and alot of prying i finally got the hole lined up enough to hammer the bolts in. only took me 3-4 hours. plus the previous attempts.
the d/s mount does stick a little farther forward in the clamshell than the p/s, so i'm debating starting the engine up and see if it'll go back into place or just ignoring it and bolting it all down, it's only a 1/8-1/4in. what do you guys think?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

That slight a difference will not cause any mechanical problems I can think of, but there may be another issue. Check to see if the oil pan is touching the frame, or if the headers do. If so, this could cause issues with these components over time as fatigue sets in and causes cracks. The engine and trans need to be isolated from the car's structure so that vibrations do not break parts. Also, be sure the positive cable to the battery is not touching the brake lines on the crossmember. I did not on one swap, and the engine's vibrations wore through the insulation, and arced to ground. This cut the brake line into 3 pieces, and even plasma cut a hole in one header tube! Needless to say, I am now quite anal about checking lines and wires for contact points!