Motor mounts AND Crossmember Replace - Need Advice on method

[dbreid]

All,
I have a 1984 K30 with a factory BigBlock. My motor mounts needed/need to be replaced (already did the trans mount, etc) so I started researching.

See this thread for background:

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237781

Anyway, the Cliffs notes is that I got Kert to build me some RAD Bigblock in K30 frame mounts. And I bought the ORD Crossmember. So I have:

And:

To install.

OK, so in looking at the whole setup, it seems like I need to lift the motor (wood on oilpan, etc) and then use that for clearance to get the motor mounts off the block and replace them. Fair enough.

There is a post here talking about that as well:

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219944&highlight=engine+crossmember

However, it looks like I need to air chisel or essentially cut out the stock crossmember to get it out.

So:

Do I first cut out the crossmember and THEN do the mounts? Or do the mounts, and then do the crossmember?

I am not really in the mood for pulling the motor, so I'd prefer an "under the truck" method.

Thanks for any advice!

-Dan

 

[apache]

Im by far an expert on the subject but id probably support the engine then with either a smoke wrench or plasma cutter blow out the crossmember fairly close to either frame rail then grind off the rivets and drop out whats left. Thems some nice looking parts ya got there BTW.

 

[dbreid]

Im by far an expert on the subject but id probably support the engine then with either a smoke wrench or plasma cutter blow out the crossmember fairly close to either frame rail then grind off the rivets and drop out whats left. Thems some nice looking parts ya got there BTW.

Unfortunately, I do not have a cutting torch or a plasma. So I guess it is gonna have to be grinding wheels.

 

[t89blazer]

A reciprocating saw works well.

 

[dremu]

If it were me, I'd lift the motor -- not all the way out, but support it from above. The less stuff under it, the easier it's gonna be get at the old crossmember.

I'm thinking a cherry picker chained to the heads/block, or if you have stout roof beams in your garage, take the hood off and lift straight =))

-- A

 

[supersize75k5]

Unfortunately, I do not have a cutting torch or a plasma. So I guess it is gonna have to be grinding wheels.

use cut off wheels and remove the guard off your grinder, cut off wheels go through them like butter

 

[protechk5]

taking the cross member out with an angle grinder isnt that bad. i got mine out in my k30 pretty easily.

 

[jt512]

taking the cross member out with an angle grinder isnt that bad. i got mine out in my k30 pretty easily.

X2 I just took mine out of my K5, granted there is no engine in the way but I used an angle grinder and 2 cut off wheels, took all of 15 minutes.

 

[dbreid]

Update:

I did this yesterday, and it wasn't that bad. I was curious to see if I could get the crossmember out whole. Well, I couldn't.

Here's what I did, in order. I will add pictures once I upload them.

1.) Use a combination cutoff wheel on a 4.5 inch grinder and an air chisel to take off the 4 big rivets that rivet the crossmember to the frame (up and down -you can see them on the bottom of the frame). This wasn't that bad. I got the best results from grinding a slot for the air chisel, and finishing it with the chisel.

2.) Remove the bolts that go through the crossmember (parallel to the ground) and into the bracket that holds the motor mount (not the motor mount itself, but the frame side "ramp" they bolt to. These were by far the hardest for me. I had a hard time getting a wrench on the back of the one that is on the passenger side. The fuel pump was in the way, and the frame kinda hides it at that point. I simply could get in there. At this point I decide to lift the engine to get clearance. I used a 6x6 cit to sixe with a flat piece of wood I cut bolted to it to fit under the flat part of the il pan. Worked very well. I got more room near the frame, and Eventually, I got a box end wrench on it from above after trying different extensions and stuff. f course at this point, I had pulled the big bolts holding the upper and lower parts of each mount together.

3.) At this point, the crossmember was actually loose. I broke the rivets free with a chisel between the frame and the crossmember (pried the crossmember up). The funny part was that despite the fact that now the crossmember was not attached to the truck at all, I still couldn't get it out. It simply wouldn't fit. So I used a Reciprocating Saw with a brand new diamond blade, and it went through it like a hot knife through butter.

4.) After that was out, I just unbolted the bottome halves of the motor mounts first, then the top. I kept my hands free all the time, and placed additional wood block under the engine, so if something were to happen (jack fail, etc) that my hand wouldn't get crushed. I like my hands.

5.) Then I bolted in the new mounts from Kert. One modification I have to make was to drill a different hole at the "bottom" on the frame sides of the mounts. There might be different mounts, but mine had three bolts up and three down. The brackets I got from Kert had 3 on top and 4 on bottom. So I drilled new holes, and it worked fine.

6.) The hardest part was lining everything up to reassemble. Getting the holes lined up for the big bolts was hard. Well, the first side wasn't bad, but the second one took some doing. I kept everything loose, and worked slowly... jack a little, pry some, use a tapered rod to center, let the motor down a little, etc. Lots of sliding along on the floor.

7.) In the end, it came out pretty well, and should be MUCH stronger. I am pleased with the clearance I gained.

I didn't really get much extra space between the crossmember and my crossover steering, but I got more to work on the fuel pump, and now have access to all the bolts MUCH more easily. If I ever need to pull the engine, now it will be actually possible.

Thanks for the help and advice.

-Dan