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78 Chevy Short Box Engine Mount Problems

M

merc359

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Mar 25, 2005
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Location
Vancouver, BC. Canada
He All,

I have a ridiculous problem that has me scratching my head. I have a feeling I am missing something stupid and will be laughed off the forums, but I'll post anyways.

I have a '78 ShortBox Chevy 4X4. Bought the truck in pieces: frame, cab, box, drive-train, etc... I am now assembling it. All diffs are in, frame is sand-blasted, POR-15 painted, and now I am bolting the engine, tranny, and transfer-case in.

Here's the issue:

The original motor mounts that bolt on the frame were all nasty and worn. I took them out, cleaned them up, painted them, and put the High Energy Suspension Polyurethane insterest into them. I put them all back together as I have done on countless other vehicles. I bolted the engine-side motor mount to the new motor and tried to lower it into the cradle.

NO LUCK!

The motor will NOT lower down enough to let me bolt it in. I tried turning the mounts, rotating the inserts, changing sides... Nothing works....No matter what I do the motor-side mount hits the frame-side mount on both sides equally and won't let me drop the engine down the last 2 inches I need in order to put a bolt through the whole mess.

Now, the frame, frame mounts, and "clamshell" mounts (frame-side motor mount) are all original. The only part that is not from this exact truck is the engine-side engine mounts.

Bottom Line Question: Are there different sizes of engine-side stock GM motor mounts? I am talking about the all-metal pieces that bolt with three bolts to the BLOCK. Are there variants of that piece that might affect the geometry of the engine? For example, are there 4x4 ones and 2wd ones? I can think of nothing else and the damn engine just sits too high.

Any feedback or avenues to explore would be great. Thanks,

Merc359
(Rowan Smith)
 
What is the engine your putting in? Maybe different than what the mounts were made for?
 
I'm not sure about trucks...but I know that the 80's camaro and 80's monte G bodys had different metal pieces that bolted to the block. So, probably, there might be a variance between truck and car as well.

Blake
 
just a idea. do you have the engine crossmember in the frame ? or have you had it out or swaped to a diffrent one. i have mine out for a new one and went to pop motor in and needed to spread the frame with my high lift jack to get it to pop in.
 
Mount Height

Hi,

Just to clear up a couple of issues:

1. I have never had the engine cross-member out of the frame.
2. I have never taken out the frame piece that the engine mount bolts to.

I gathered from one of your posts that the 4x4 mounts are taller. That would make perfect sense given the nature of the problem I am having. With the mounts I have, it seems like the engine needs to come down and sit lower in the cross member in order for me to get a bolt through, but the damned block-side mount binds.

If it (the block-side mount) was taller, then the mounts would likely line up properly as I wouldn't have to lower it down as far. This is all contingent on me having the geometry of the beast straight in my head.... I'll go check the frame next time I am at my shop. I should have tons of 2x4 and 4x4 mounts kicking around.

Thanks for your input.

Rowan
Merc359
 
some times the stock rubbers slide down in the shells and need to be moved around a bit to line up.


good luck buddy.:D
 
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