engine choice

[1968aj]

pulling engine out of my 59 this weekend. original 6 cyl standard transmission. been sitting too long will never run again. iwant to go back with small block v8 with auto trans. what would be the easiest and most economical way to go?really do not want to make motor mounts. will anything work with the front motor mounts?any ideas will be helpful

[AZ59apacheguy]

Hi. I just got done doing a V8 swap in my '59, went from a 235 to 283. Any Small Block Chevy will utilize the stock front motor mounts. You can buy these off most online parts supplier. Keep in mind that if you want to install power steering or A/C, a lot of the aftermarket brackets want to use those lower mounting points where the stock motor mounts use. Otherwise a V8 swap it a painless way to add some HP to your truck. Good luck

[_Ogre]

the mounts az59 shows work great if you keep the stock bell housing mounts.
but if your changing to an automatic with a tail shaft trans mount you need to add side motor mounts to the frame
with the stock v8 mounts, the bell housing mounts control the torque and the front mounts hold the motor level
when you switch to an automatic you have the tailshaft mount that has little resistance to torque
therefor you need the side mounts to keep the motor from twisting all over the place

my truk in it's previous life had the stock mounts up front and a tailshaft mount on a 350 trans
i couldn't keep exhaust donuts in the manifolds, when i had my wife step on the brake and put it in gear
the motor moved about 2 inches to one side, in reverse it move 2 inches the other way
this was not torque twist at the top of the air cleaner, the motor moved side to side
i imagine that when i had a load and took off from a stop sign it moved a lot more

these are some mounts that parkwood fabbed up, similar to what i made.
3/8 pipe and 2 triangles to the frame flanges. easy peasy

[OrrieG]

I beg to differ. When I converted to SBC/TH350/NP203 drivetrain I used the stock block front mounts and trans/tranfer rear mount. I drove the truck 7K miles per year for 15 years with no problems. I did install a restraint on the drivers side to limit engine movement because the TH350's in 4WD's are notorius for cracking under loading and unloading if not restrained. Keeping the front mounts frees up a lot of area on the side for exhaust routing which helps with steering shaft alignment too.

I cannot explain why yours moved so much except to speculate that maybe the mounts were placed to close to center and vertical rather than being spread and angled toward each other. I did fab my own mounts and used auto engine mounts (do not know if trucks are different) which have an angle to them. I bolted the donut mounts and shaft to the engine mount then made a template for the frame mount. I also did not cut out the orginal trans crossmember between the rear spring perches which keep lateral support in the frame.

With an IFS it makes sense to use the side mounts, the engine then acts as part of the lateral support at the load points. It also frees up the front block mounting bosses for accesory mounting.

[Russell Ashley]

Orrie, it's hard to tell from the pic but your mounts seem to be spread a little more than my factory ones, which would help with stabilizing the front of the engine. Regardless, if switching to an automatic I would definitely recommend going to side mounts if for no other reason than what you mentioned, availability of accessory mounting brackets.
A bolt-in cross member for side mounts won't cost much more than replacing the stock mounting pads, especially if you need the up-rights also..

[1968aj]

thought i would add a couple of pics.

[Katrina/10]

Would you consider a V8 with manual transmission?

[1968aj]

i was thinking automatic but i would consider manual. im just starting disassembly . for all i know the manual transmisson in the truck may still be good.

[Katrina/10]

I suggest that because you said you were not interested in fabricating motor mounts. The factory V8 front mounts bolt right in, but you would also have to use the bellhousing mounts. There is not really any way I know of to put an automatic in without removing the crossmember under the bellhousing. Your original transmission will work ok with a V8, and you could put an overdrive manual in later if you wanted to.

[1968aj]

thanks for info. im still in planning stage. truck is all original and sat in pasture for years.i know the engine is bad. sat outside for years with no hood and the head removed. as i dis assemble i will be looking around for engine options.going to swap meet this sunday .

[Katrina/10]

Yeah, it looks like you might have some stuck pistons there.

[_Ogre]

ok, so you can use center and tailshaft mounts or go with orrieg's front, center and tailshaft mount