Need Opinions

[76er]

Wanting to go pretty much old school, simple, as i have no welding skills or fab skills. Thought about using the original type front attach motor mounts to bolt in my 350 (all stock) in my 56 TF and then just us aftermarket trans crossmember to bolt in turbo 350 trans at rear. There would no mounting points between front engine and trans mounts at rear of trans. Would that work ok or is it possible i would have flex at the point where engine and trans bolt together and possibly crack trans housing? All opinions and suggestions welcome. Send pics if need be.

[mr48chev]

Guys still do it but it does tend to cause a bit of flexing there and it might cause the front pump seal to leak.

There are bolt on side mount kits including the tube crossmember setup that take front mounts. You would just bolt the side pieces to the frame and when you had the crossmember set right drill holes through the tubes in each side and run a bolt through both tubes to hold it in place rather than welding the tubes. Quick, simple and no welding.

[Speedbumpauto]

Originally Posted by 76er

. Thought about using the original type front attach motor mounts to bolt in my 350 (all stock) in my 56 TF and then just us aftermarket trans crossmember to bolt in turbo 350 trans at rear. There would no mounting points between front engine and trans mounts at rear of trans.

DON'T DO IT! Necessity is the mother of fabrication skills. Use 48's advice or similar.

[1project2many]

That arrangement puts quite a bit of tension on the trans bellhousing. As mentioned, it could lead to leaks. Look at the bracing used on 4X4 models to support the trans / engine attaching area. Something similar would help considerably. Of course, you'd need to have a transmission that has a wide pad and large bolt holes at the flywheel cover, and those are found on a 4X4 model. If you did get a 4X4 version of the THM350 you could build a mount to attach the bellhousing to the factory crossmember and you wouldn't need the braces. But then you'd have to disassemble the trans to build a 2wd version. None of this sounds like a great solution for you.

There are bolt on side mount kits including the tube crossmember setup that take front mounts. You would just bolt the side pieces to the frame and when you had the crossmember set right drill holes through the tubes in each side and run a bolt through both tubes to hold it in place rather than welding the tubes. Quick, simple and no welding.

Sounds like just the right answer imo.

[76er]

Agreed!! Thanks

[_Ogre]

i think you knew the answer before you asked

the po of my truck did the same thing, front motor mounts and rear trans mount.
the motor would rock and roll under the hood, enough to where the exhaust doughnuts would fail weekly.
learn to fab and weld is all i can suggest

[MidLifer]

Not to take this off-topic but learning to weld was much easier than I thought. We are lucky to live an hour away from Eastwood, where they gave my son and me a 30 minute introduction to MIG and I was able to buy their 110V MIG box for $280. Then we went home, took out scrap metal and practiced. My welds don't look the best but they work. Next I want to get someone to teach me the basics of torch welding.

I bet your local welding supply would have a guy that could teach you if you bought your welder from them, otherwise find a guy on your local CL that if offering welding services and see if he'll come by and give you a few hours of his time to teach you.

[OrrieG]

I drove my truck as a daily driver from 85 - 2000 with front motor mount and rear trans/transfer mount. Lots of off road, no problems. Key is to keep the motor from rotating and stressing the bellhousing (auto trans).