Hard mounts for engine and tranny?
- Thread starter PotvinGuy
- Start date
A couple years ago I helped replace the tail housing on a 350 turbo that had been mounted solid. The boss on the trans had cracked. Who ever built the car had used Chevy motor mounts. I would suspect that just made maters worse. Think of it this way, auto manufactures have been using either rubber or springs to mount engines and transmissions since day one.
Ron
Ron
CrazyBobMan
New Member
I had a friend mention he once used solid motor mounts in a Chevy Camaro and said it was a mistake. He felt it transmitted unexceptionable levels of vibration to the chassis.
benT
Active Member
Racecar...sure. Street car? No way. A friend of mine built a Pro-Street Rambler wagon and did a drag style motor plate solid mount. It was mostly a drag car but he did run it on the street some. The next year he fabbed up some cushioned mounts as he didn;t like how it acted with the power of the engine (an ex Gaerte sprint car motor) He had enough of the rigid mount and reported that he liked the rubber mounts a whole lot better on the street.
I don't think you have to go with stock style mounts but some bushing style mounts work pretty good. Here are the ones I fabbed up for my 27 (SBF). I used a stock-style tranny mount.
Oh yeah, before Ted jumps in, I used ARP bolts and the nut on the frame mount was replaced with a thin Nyloc.
I don't think you have to go with stock style mounts but some bushing style mounts work pretty good. Here are the ones I fabbed up for my 27 (SBF). I used a stock-style tranny mount.
Oh yeah, before Ted jumps in, I used ARP bolts and the nut on the frame mount was replaced with a thin Nyloc.
Allen
Member
I just wanted to compliment you on this motor mount. The design is simple, yet real neat. I like it! Is this some of your work?
Racecar...sure. Street car? No way. A friend of mine built a Pro-Street Rambler wagon and did a drag style motor plate solid mount. It was mostly a drag car but he did run it on the street some. The next year he fabbed up some cushioned mounts as he didn;t like how it acted with the power of the engine (an ex Gaerte sprint car motor) He had enough of the rigid mount and reported that he liked the rubber mounts a whole lot better on the street.
I don't think you have to go with stock style mounts but some bushing style mounts work pretty good. Here are the ones I fabbed up for my 27 (SBF). I used a stock-style tranny mount.
Oh yeah, before Ted jumps in, I used ARP bolts and the nut on the frame mount was replaced with a thin Nyloc.
benT
Active Member
Yep, The first set I built used a factory mount and I hated it! I scrapped them and mocked these ones up from some tube and poly bushings and Dad tig'd them together. I smoothed them out with a little bondo prior to paint. I think Speedway now sells something similar.
Ted Brown
Member
I myself would have made the tube mount that bolts to those two cast bosses shorter, to lessen the leverage... Then made the frame mounts a bit longer and grabbed more frame, from top to bottom of frame... Also that tubing you used looks a bit thin to me... Big dips or bumps in your travels will work very hard on that mount, even as nice as it looks... I have seen too many engines fall out of the frame... BTDT 
PS, The bigger the rubber bushing, the smoother the ride...
PS, The bigger the rubber bushing, the smoother the ride...
benT
Active Member
I myself would have made the tube mount that bolts to those two cast bosses shorter, to lessen the leverage... Then made the frame mounts a bit longer and grabbed more frame, from top to bottom of frame... Also that tubing you used looks a bit thin to me... Big dips or bumps in your travels will work very hard on that mount, even as nice as it looks... I have seen too many engines fall out of the frame... BTDT
Ted: That tubing is genuine 4130 chrome moly tubing... it'll handle anything that motor has, and the bumps and vibration too. No issue with a smooth ride!
Ron: The bushings are Energy Suspension 4 bar bushings.
CrazyBobMan
New Member
Ben, I really like your motor mounts, did you fab them or are they off the shelf? I hate the look of my stock motor mounts and would love a set like that. What a great idea!
-Bob
Mike
Well-Known Member
Clean work on the mounts, Ben. I always appreciate little details like that, knowing full well they are the types of things that generally go over-looked.
PotvinGuy, I can only echo what everyone else has been saying. You would be amazed at the amount of vibration transmitted into a frame when using solid mounts. If you really feel they are necessary to prevent tearing up rubber mounts, try to come up with a limiting cable to restrict movement in that left mount. Yes, it will look like a wart on your nose, but it will keep the vibration to a minimum. If you go with a solid motor mount, I recommend using a mid-mount as well and then completely eliminating the trans mount. That is not a typo - do not run a trans mount at all, if you're tying the engine solid.
This is another race car trick best left to the race cars.
PotvinGuy, I can only echo what everyone else has been saying. You would be amazed at the amount of vibration transmitted into a frame when using solid mounts. If you really feel they are necessary to prevent tearing up rubber mounts, try to come up with a limiting cable to restrict movement in that left mount. Yes, it will look like a wart on your nose, but it will keep the vibration to a minimum. If you go with a solid motor mount, I recommend using a mid-mount as well and then completely eliminating the trans mount. That is not a typo - do not run a trans mount at all, if you're tying the engine solid.
This is another race car trick best left to the race cars.
Ted Brown
Member
You wrote... Ted: That tubing is genuine 4130 chrome moly tubing.. Well here is the story about that 4130 tubing, it is only 10% stronger than Mild Steel in the state that you bought it in, NORMAL... You would have had to use 4130 rod to weld it all together, to all 4130 material through out... Then when finished it would have to be heat treated to get to real 4130 spec. And another fact, it will age harden 75% faster than Mild Steel without the Heat treat... Sorry, so many people just do not understand the in and outs of 4130, it just costs a lot more to buy, and it requires the right handling and heat treat to be worth having on race cars... This is from my steel man...
This is from my steel man...
Mike, who told you about my wart? Thanks for good advice. You and the others have convinced me. Anyone know of some really slick mounts off the shelf?
benT
Active Member
If you like the billet look, Speedway has some nice ones: http://www.speedwaym...tDisplayId=1906 I'm not sure if they will work with the width of your frame...see their note about T and A frames.
and they also have the steel tube style ones in pre made, weld-your-self, and in stainless. They have a bunch of other styles as well.
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