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Engine mounting Issue GM Goodwrench Vtec

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blaznaro

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Im installing a 1996 -2005 vortec v8 350 GM Goodwrench crate into a 1989 Blazer Full Size 4x4. Thus far the engine swap went smoothly until I tried to pin the motor mounts and secure the engine block. I first went to replace the engine mount bushings and clam shells with new aftermarket oem. After inspecting the part and saw that it was made in china and a POS !!! , I decided to go with new energy suspension bushings instead. The original clam shells have been reused with the new bushings and loosely installed on the frame. After several tries to seat the engine and slide the center bolt in... with no luck ??? we decided to unmount the clam shells and secure the center pins first. After several attempts to secure the three mounting bolts which are used to mount the clam shell bushing to the frame rail engine mounting bracket we found that if we bolted the driver side down we were off by an inch on the passenger side. So we tried to bolt down the passenger side first and then the driver side. Same outcome, Off by an inch or so in order for the mounting holes and brackets to line up.

The engine blocks should mount the same .... the original clam shells have been reused with new bushings and the engine mounts that bolt to the engine block and allow the center bolt to be secured to the bushing are off of a 1996 chevy truck that had a vortec v8 in it. I wld have used the original brackets but my son scrapped the old engine before i could unbolt them.
Just wondering what the problem might be.... the brackets looked the same as the originals but they might be slightly different. Or could it be that the bushings have been manufactured improperly.... doubt it with energy suspension.... in any case im stumped....
I did contact a chevy dealer locally and was informed that the engine mounting brackets and the spacer plates that go behind them when mounted on the engine block... are unavailable...discontinued !
 
Are the donor clamshells from a SBC? Did you bolt the frame side mounts to the crossmember first? I would suggest you bolt the clamshells to the block, then bolt the frame mounts to the clamshells THEN set the engine down on the crossmember and get a prybar to move the engine around until the bolt holes in the frame mounts line up with the holes in the crossmember. There is enough movement that bolting the frame mounts down first could be your issue or you have clamshells from a BBC.
 
I put a vortec into my 88 trans am, I have poly mounts I dont remember where I got them but I had someone helping me when I bolted it down moving the block to get the sweet spot
 
As I read it, the actual motor mounts (with new guts) were already in the vehicle, so those won't be the problem.

However, the "hats" that bolt to the block are off of a later truck?

I have not dealt with a ton of these, but I *have* seen this on the BBC motors...depending on what the motor was installed in, the hats are different heights. Since your motor and hats are from a later truck, with a different frame, I wouldn't be surprised if they were incorrect.

Have the dealer give you the part number for your truck, and for the donor truck. If the numbers aren't the same, there is your problem.
 
thanks for the replies..... the clam shells are the original ones with new poly bushings..... the hats are from a 96 chevy truck 4wd..... gm claims that the hats from 1988 thru 1996 on the 4wd trucks and suvs didnt change.... i did check with the salvage yard where i got the hats off a donor engine that came out of a 1996 4wd truck....still think you are correct about the hats though... gonna find a donor suburban or blazer from 1989 back to 1987 and get the hats off that engine and swap them to c if this solves my problem...

the weird thing is the original bushings and clam shells didnt match the 4wd clams that they offer at the auto parts store.... they did however match up to a 1989 chevy 305 v8 camaro engine mount clamshell and bushing....

Why is this..? i guess they did like all the other auto builders ...used what they had when they didnt have what they needed
 
I find I have to get "87" parts for my 88 Suburban. Too many parts stores, computers, and coders have the 88-91 Blazer/Suburban in the 88-98 truck section which is clearly incorrect. Most parts are actually from the 87 model year style as opposed to the GMT400 platform.
 
Yep agree there...they are probably looking at '88+ C/K, not R/V. Pretty sad coming from a dealer, but not unusual.
 
88-up new body calls for diffrent poly insert for clam shell mounts so stands to reason diffrent hat that bolts to block .

i always try and keep known frame side stuff to same vehicle. and engine all by its self and bolt on the stuff that was in the vehicle before motor removed.

and there is a diffrent part # also for 73-87 style with bbc and 6.2 motor.
 
350 5.7 vortec engine swap issues

O.K. ..... I hope someone can shed some light on this subject.
If you have or will read my older posts about engine swap issues... you can get a better idea of what I'm dealing with... I have been trying to figure out why i can't get a 350 engine to bolt into a 1989 k5 . I have tried using energy suspension motor mounts and have also tried using aftermarket oem replacement mounts from advance auto. No matter what I have tried to do I keep getting the same results. I have 3 bolt clam shells two on top of the mount and two bolt holes on the bottom but only one bolt hole is used on the bottom. The frame plates are slotted front to rear for minor adjustment in order to get the engine mounting brackets to sit over the mounts . The clam shells are the original hardware with new bushing inserts. Have discussed this issue with energy suspension and have been told that the motor mounts are the correct ones. They fit in the clam shells like a glove. When i pin the passenger side engine mount and lower the engine down to pin the drivers side i am atleast 3/4 -1 inch off !!! The bolt hole to bolt hole measurement on the engine mounting brackets on the block is wider by an inch or sightly less than the bolt hole to bolt hole measurement from clam shell to clam shell . I have tried everything i possibly can to flex the bushing enough to pin the engine and have tried using drive pins etc etc with no results. Just so you know the engine mounting brackets on the block are the original ones and the clam shells are the original ones ... I have the spacers behind the engine mounting brackets with the tab and hole for mounting the torque rods to the transmission bell housing lower cover . And the transmission mount is new and the transmission bolted up with no problem. I'm going crazy trying to figure this out and with little or no help from local mechanics or gm tech support. I did however contact diy4x and spoke to a tech there about this and he said to try and loosen the 45 degree frame mounting brackets and see if i can get the engine mounts any wider to pin the engine and then tighten the bolts back up on the frame brackets. I'm not sure if that will work but if anyone else has tried this with luck or otherwise please let me know your end results.... Is it possible that the frame could flex or twist that much after removing an engine ?
I hope that someone can help me figure this out... this has been the one thing that has kept me from continuing any further with this project until the engine is in and fitted properly.

Also... has anyone used diy4x or ord engine mounting kits with any luck and are they worth the price ?
 
350 5.7 vortec engine swap issues

O.K. ..... I hope someone can shed some light on this subject.
If you have or will read my older posts about engine swap issues... you can get a better idea of what I'm dealing with... I have been trying to figure out why i can't get a 350 engine to bolt into a 1989 k5 . I have tried using energy suspension motor mounts and have also tried using aftermarket oem replacement mounts from advance auto. No matter what I have tried to do I keep getting the same results. I have 3 bolt clam shells two on top of the mount and two bolt holes on the bottom but only one bolt hole is used on the bottom. The frame plates are slotted front to rear for minor adjustment in order to get the engine mounting brackets to sit over the mounts . The clam shells are the original hardware with new bushing inserts. Have discussed this issue with energy suspension and have been told that the motor mounts are the correct ones. They fit in the clam shells like a glove. When i pin the passenger side engine mount and lower the engine down to pin the drivers side i am atleast 3/4 -1 inch off !!! The bolt hole to bolt hole measurement on the engine mounting brackets on the block is wider by an inch or sightly less than the bolt hole to bolt hole measurement from clam shell to clam shell . I have tried everything i possibly can to flex the bushing enough to pin the engine and have tried using drive pins etc etc with no results. Just so you know the engine mounting brackets on the block are the original ones and the clam shells are the original ones ... I have the spacers behind the engine mounting brackets with the tab and hole for mounting the torque rods to the transmission bell housing lower cover . And the transmission mount is new and the transmission bolted up with no problem. I'm going crazy trying to figure this out and with little or no help from local mechanics or gm tech support. I did however contact diy4x and spoke to a tech there about this and he said to try and loosen the 45 degree frame mounting brackets and see if i can get the engine mounts any wider to pin the engine and then tighten the bolts back up on the frame brackets. I'm not sure if that will work but if anyone else has tried this with luck or otherwise please let me know your end results.... Is it possible that the frame could flex or twist that much after removing an engine ?
I hope that someone can help me figure this out... this has been the one thing that has kept me from continuing any further with this project until the engine is in and fitted properly.

Also... has anyone used diy4x or ord engine mounting kits with any luck and are they worth the price ?
 
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I am not following your issue very well. Pictures of your problem would be a great help.

Next question, are you sure the engine mounts are the issue and not something else at the back of the engine not allowing you to go back further such as a torque converter not locked all the way into the trans, flywheel installed backasswards or a manual trans stub not sliding into the pilot bushing? This should not be a difficult one to figure out :dunno:

I do understand what you mean by how sucktastic the replacement mounts are through Napa or any of the parts stores these days. They are paper thin! The 8.1L in my K10 ate two sets of Napa mounts and beat the chit out of my oil pan before I installed Energy inserts in OEM cases. Problem solved.

Not sure if this is any help but here is how my Energy inserts turned out. Make sure you have the insert support tabs in the right spots. Maybe you have the inserts upside down?
6905878035_6c9c14255c_b.jpg


On the mount portion on the frame the two bolts go towards the top and single bolt at the bottom.
6905864299_c38093cb54_b.jpg



Used a set of Energy mounts on a GMT400 1993 C1500 4.3L to 7.4L project as well. The GMT400 trucks are a bit different in that the mount uses two bolts at the bottom and one at the top, which is backwards from the older trucks. Engine dropped right in :dunno:
6948170789_3d69aebee1_b.jpg


6802061530_ff6db74346_b.jpg
 
You still don't mention anything about getting the right "hats" for your truck. In the very first pic from Larry, the "hat" is the piece bolted to the block. Stamped piece of u-shaped metal.

I think you have the wrong ones, and I don't think I'm alone in that thought. Those are probably different on the '88+ C/K's,and as I understand it, that is what you are trying to use.They were different in the olden days for cars vs. trucks, between different body styles, etc., so it stands to reason that a completely new frame design would require a different "hat".

Unless you verify the "hat" part number interchange for, say, a 1985 C/K with a 1988 C/K, you are spinning your wheels.
 
thanks for the replies fellas..... I'm looking now for a factory set of engine mounting brackets for the 1989 K5 used with the 3 bolt clam shells ...gm has discontinued them and there isnt a junk yard within 50 miles of me that has a k5 with the engine still in it to get the correct brackets.... anyone know where i can find a set ?
 
blaznaro said:
thanks for the replies fellas..... I'm looking now for a factory set of engine mounting brackets for the 1989 K5 used with the 3 bolt clam shells ...gm has discontinued them and there isnt a junk yard within 50 miles of me that has a k5 with the engine still in it to get the correct brackets.... anyone know where i can find a set ?
Click to expand...

Whoa? Not a single square body 73-87 truck or up to 91 Suburban anywhere to be found in any salvage yards? :dunno:


That is odd, even in the rust belt of Michigan salvage yards were loaded with those trucks. The engine mounts were the same for what seemed like a 100 years.
 
Engine mounting issue Update !!!

ok .... I have found that the frame is closed in a bit and not allowing the engine to be pinned in. I have measured several frames with the engine mounts still in place and have found the average measurement from bolt hole to bolt hole to be 17 inches. Mine is roughly 16 inches center to center.

Now the big question ... Where should I start looking on the frame to see what the issue is and how to fix the issue....???

Should i consider taking it to a frame shop or should i remove the cross member under the engine and replace it with a ORD cross member after i have pinned the engine ? Also, the engine mounting brackets that are bolted to the frame are also bolted to the cross member ...is there a possibility that i could get the inch i need by loosing them up then re tightening them after the engine is pinned?

Anyone who has had this issue or have used the ORD cross member please let me know how it worked out for you !!!
 
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