Engine Mount Replacement

[mightyatom]

Hi All,
The engine mounts in my 1972 Chevy C10 (350ci) look to be very warn and one looks like it is badly split resulting in a lot of engine movement when cold. I would like to replace the engine mounts and read in a couple of post that this can be done without removing the engine. I took a look a the mounts from underneath and there is not much room to move so I just wanted to check if anyone has done this before. My shop manual is has been ordered which may answer these questions but until then, any help would be appreciated answering the following:

1. Procedure to replace engine mounts.
2. Any tips/suggestions
3. Any specific tools that will make it easier.

Many Thanks
Jay
(1972 Chevy C10 350ci)

[cdowns]

an engine hoist makes it easier

basically you just lift engine an inch or two remove bolts replace mount install bolts to finish// drivers side is worst with power steering pump and hoses in the way// do one at a time //not brain surgery can b done in an afternoon

[67ChevyRedneck]

I did both of mine (both sides) in a parking lot with nothing more than hand tools, a bottle jack, and wood blocks. Not exactly ideal, but I got it done.

[Jacfourteen]

Same as comments above. Just pull bolts, jack/lift it up and throw the new ones in. the tricky part is always lining them up to put the bolts back in.

[mightyatom]

Many thanks everyone. I guess I have my weekend job sorted out.

Jay

[67/72junkie]

fresh engine mounts are always a good move if not positive on condition.71/72 with cable doesn't do this but if you have 70 and back and the rubber mount separates,hang on!They have solid throttle linkagae and when driver side mount goes bad it can be very dangerous.My 69 separated a the main stop light in town and when I touched the gas the motor stood up and pulled the throttle wide open.I did a nhra style burnout thru the light with both feet on the brake until I killed the ignition and the motor sat back down.Lucky I didn't hit someone.I put a short chain from the head down to the frame on any solid linkage trucks I build nowdays.

[mightyatom]

Got the motor mounts changed over the weekends although I would not say it was easy. The mounts I removed pretty much disintegrated on removal so it was definitely a good move to change them out. As mentioned, the biggest issue is getting the bolts aligned with the holes and it was a real pain. I had two issues:

1. the upper left bolt on the drivers side mount has to first go through a bracket, then the mount and then into the block. The bracket was slightly out of alignment so I needed to get someone to pull up the bracket while I inserted and started the bolt. There is very little room to move and its very difficult to determine if it is aligned or not. Took a couple of hours for this one bolt but we got it in the end.
2. to get the chasis to mount bolts in place it was easier to loosen the bolts of the brackets that connect to the chasis. This way the brackets could be moved around a bit to line up the holes with the mount.

The whole job probably took me about 5 hours. Not I job I would want to do too often but after seeing the state of the ones I removed I was glad I did it. The new mounts hold the engines nice and steady with minimal vibration.

Job 2 of 200 done.

Jay

[Jacfourteen]

Glad to hear you got it done. Now that is one more thing you know how to do. Off to the next task!

[Mike_The_Grad]

Way late on this thread I know,but, where do I jack the engine up from? '72 c10 with sbc350/th350. And I'm assuming remove both front and both rear mounting bolts before doing so....

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Mike_The_Grad

Way late on this thread I know,but, where do I jack the engine up from? '72 c10 with sbc350/th350. And I'm assuming remove both front and both rear mounting bolts before doing so....

Not 100% sure I'm clear on what you mean by "both front and both rear mounting bolts" but I would not remove engine mount bolts and transmission mount "or" bell housing mount bolts at the same time. The engine could shift on you making it real difficult to get it lined back up.

LockDoc

[Mike_The_Grad]

[quote=saxart;7670634]I had a short piece of 2X6 laying in the garage that I put (flat) on the bottom of the oil pan and put the jack on that board. Worked great!

When I did mine, I removed the 3 bolts holding each engine mount to the engine block. The rubber on my old mounts was so deteriorated that you couldn't get a wrench on them. Had to shove a screwdriver into the rubber around each bolt and peel it away to get at those bolts. The rubber was the consistency of a stale PEEP candy from Easter.

LOL! My original mounts had cracked so badly I had no idea that there was supposed to be rubber surrounding the three bolts, there were in plain sight. When I replaced those mounts there was no problem as I had tore the entire front end down to the frame rails and had a hoist because I was rebuilding the engine and power washing everything. Thanks for the info!

Originally Posted by LockDoc

Not 100% sure I'm clear on what you mean by "both front and both rear mounting bolts" but I would not remove engine mount bolts and transmission mount "or" bell housing mount bolts at the same time. The engine could shift on you making it real difficult to get it lined back up.

LockDoc

Yes,those are the bolts I am referring to. Thats something I hadn't considered happening,but more than likely would have happened knowing my luck.

So, do I remove the front motor mount bolts like saxart suggests, and only loosen the two transmission mount bolts? Thankfully I did as stated above a few years ago and I've kept everything pretty clean under there. One concern I have with my setup is that I have stainless transmission cooler lines with an aluminum radiator anyone think it's something to consider disconnecting? I know it might sound like a for sure yes, but those things gave me a heck of a time to finally stop leaking without stripping the radiator's threads.


This was the first time I pulled it, same block and transmission went back in,but a little cleaner.

[saxart]

I had a short piece of 2X6 laying in the garage that I put (flat) on the bottom of the oil pan and put the jack on that board. Worked great!

When I did mine, I removed the 3 bolts holding each engine mount to the engine block. The rubber on my old mounts was so deteriorated that you couldn't get a wrench on them. Had to shove a screwdriver into the rubber around each bolt and peel it away to get at those bolts. The rubber was the consistency of a stale PEEP candy from Easter.

Once I got the old mounts off, I decided it was just easier to reassemble by removing the frame brackets.

[Dave in Ozark]

Originally Posted by saxart

The rubber was the consistency of a stale PEEP candy from Easter.

I got to be honest here- I've never had a PEEP that tasted fresh

[saxart]

Mike-
Right or wrong, I didn't touch the transmission mount. Just jacked up the engine. I guess the transmission mount can take the slight twisting needed to make it happen.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by saxart

Mike-
Right or wrong, I didn't touch the transmission mount. Just jacked up the engine. I guess the transmission mount can take the slight twisting needed to make it happen.

That is correct, I didn't loosen the trans mount bolts either. It wouldn't hurt anything to back them off a few turns though.

The coolant lines should have enough flex in them. You should only have to raise the front an inch or so.

LockDoc

[Mike_The_Grad]

Thanks for the info and input. Much appreciated. My weekend agenda is set. ☺

[Mike_The_Grad]

Update: motor mount replacement was a success. It wasn't a whole lot of fun though, and I regret not putting fresh mounts in while I had the engine out of the truck. Thanks for all the great info and tips. I did loosen the trans mount bolts a couple of turns. And I had the forethought to take my fan shroud off! Lol. The only thing I would do different next time is find a more clean and level area to do it in. My drivers side of the truck was up on asphalt while the passenger side was on dirt/gravel. Victim of circumstance I'm afraid. But with the help of one of my more mechanically and logically inclined buddies we prevailed. Damn those bolts are a PITA to reach. I think I can continue my regiment of skipping the gym for a while longer because I sure was sore the next day. it was worth it though as I also recurved my distributor and came upon a Delco-Remy HEI distributor out of a 1978 CA emission Corvette for $20. Mostly just wanted it for the internals (all GM:coil,module,weights,Vacuum advance.) Thanks again!