motor mount help

[rick0312]

I am having a hell of a time installing my motor mounts. I have the old type which bolts from underneath the tower. It seems I can't get them to line up. I can get one side in but not the other. I wound up cross threading both mounts. Any advice would be very helpfull. It was a very frustrating day........Thanks.......Rick

[GMan69]

What worked for me was to keep the engine as maneuverable as possible. Leave all the other bolts, tranny crossmember and bell housing, somewhat loose. Use your engine hoist to move the engine around as needed. Good luck.

[lks dcvn]

Ahh just did that last weekend...PITA for sure... got one side in and had to dick around with the other side for 40 mins...

If I were to do it again...(with the engine still on the hoist) take the towers off the frame and then bolt the engine mounts to them...then with the towers connected to the mounts and the engine - slowly lower the engine/towers close to the mounts on the frame...drop a bolt through the holes and don't tighten them down (obviously it is easier to have 2 people doing this) when you have one side done - move on to the other side and then move the engine/towers as need be to get the holes lined up.

After you do that - slowly tighten the bolts down - working from one side to the other to avoid twisting or binding of the towers/block.

It is a LOT easier to line up a visible hole in the top of the frame than the near impossible to see motor mounts - in my opinion.

I could have saved about an hour doing it a different way...

That may not be the best way - but that way would work. I am curious to hear what others have done as well.

[rick0312]

took a break from working on the truck for about an hour and cooled off. came back and in about 30 minutes I had them installed.....sometimes you just have to walk away. they were a PITA!

[chevy72blu]

Originally Posted by lks dcvn

Ahh just did that last weekend...PITA for sure... got one side in and had to dick around with the other side for 40 mins...

If I were to do it again...(with the engine still on the hoist) take the towers off the frame and then bolt the engine mounts to them...then with the towers connected to the mounts and the engine - slowly lower the engine/towers close to the mounts on the frame...drop a bolt through the holes and don't tighten them down (obviously it is easier to have 2 people doing this) when you have one side done - move on to the other side and then move the engine/towers as need be to get the holes lined up.

After you do that - slowly tighten the bolts down - working from one side to the other to avoid twisting or binding of the towers/block.

It is a LOT easier to line up a visible hole in the top of the frame than the near impossible to see motor mounts - in my opinion.

I could have saved about an hour doing it a different way...

That may not be the best way - but that way would work. I am curious to hear what others have done as well.

I tried that method using Energy Suspension poly mounts and it didnt work well at all for me... I couldnt manuever them so that both towers got more than a LITTLE close.

I bolted the towers to the frame, then lowered the clamshells down onto them. Got one side perfect, pounded the pin in, lifted the motor up a bit, and pounded in the other one. The longest part was the trial and error of different methods (and I was by myself =P).

Also, jack the trans up with a floor jack (if you already have your belhousing bolted up) so that the wheels are parallel to the frame rails. Of course, I was also setting my trans X member so this may not help you, but it really reducing friction moving the motor back/forth for those 1/8 inches.