The drivers side motor mount on my Wildcat is ....not holding the engine in place when I punch it from a dead stop. My fan shroud isn't liking what's going on. What is a good way to secure the engine in place? I've heard the mounts for this particular year are difficult to find/hens teeth.
My GN mechanic fashioned a strap out of a 1 inch ratchet hold down strap. My Motor mounts are fine, but it is for insurance. I don't think it would look too good on a street car though...
I'm not concerned about looks...I just want to be able to hit the gas without hearing the fan shredding the shroud:laugh:
Just hook one end to something not suspended and secure and the other to the power steering or alternator bracket... tighten... problem solved. You can hide it pretty well too.
Eric Schmelzer has a good set-up on his Adam.See if he'll post a pic.I think there is a pic of it under the thread title "let's see some engine shots".It's what I'll be doing to mine later.
Here ya go Adam http://v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=115284&highlight=baby Pics are in post #14 I know the custom bracket on the engine won't work for you. It's just a simple turnbuckle with a hook on one end and a loop on the other. On the bottom end it uses an S-hook into an existing hole in the frame.
Adam, ask Ken to take a picture of what I installed on his '66 Cat at Yardley's. It's a simple piece of chain bolted to the motor mount. Slightly longer bolts, washers & paint it black & you'll be hard pressed to even see it. The '66 mounts are different but I'm sure the older mounts will work also. Stay away from the cables, hooks & other assorted parafanalya they look terrible & they also come apart & are much harder to bolt on.
Adam, You can pull the mounts and send them to Steele and they will re-vulcanize them. I think it cost me around $125 to have mine done, and it took about 3 weeks turn around time.
The chain also allows the moutor mount to 'give' a little and does not transfer as much vibration throughout the car as a solid link will. The chains are usually left just slightly slack so that there is no pretension on them, but as soon as you 'jump' on it, the motor rocks slightly and takes the slack out-before it tears the motor mount apart. This is how I have seen it done in many 'street/muscle' cars in the past. I have also seen a similar setup used on front suspension to help control the travel when really 'getting' on it. I can't remember exactly how it is set up, I think it went form the frame rail to the lower control arm to limit the travel. I can't fully remember how this functioned exactly, if I am right it was to keep the front end from rising too much and help to 'load' the chassis evenly. It has been many years-it was on a Chevy PU which ran a 496"BBC on the street. I had done some work to it years back but have not seen it since the owner passed on.
I thought Chevy had a recall back in the '60's and they used a chain on the driver's side of the engine to the upper control arm area to take stress off the motor mount. I think it was a safety issue......when they broke, the trans shifted into reverse or something. :shock: I ripped the driver's side mount on my Riv at least a half dozen times over the past 27 years I've owned it. Perhaps I should strap it, these mounts are getting scarce! ou:
The Chevy recall was in 1972 and involved cars from 1965 to 1970 because of the throttle linkage was not cable it was the old arm style . When the mounts gave way it would let the motor rise and jam the throttle wide open as noted by the scars on my work table at the time when a 427 Caprice went WOT headed at my bench . The repair was a cable and bracket tht bolted the the exhaust manifold and went over to the control arm inner shaft . Wasn't pretty but it satisfied liability issues .
