I have been working on my 1967 Wildcat convertible for almost a year now, going through all the mechanical items underneath it. I finally got to drive it first time last weekend after having the bottom half of the motor rebuilt. I left an intersection, got on it, and bang, tore the driver's side motor mount. I never thought to replace the motor mounts when the motor was out. Rookie mistake I guess. The motor jumped so far that it jammed the air cleaner into the hood & stuck the throttle wide open. Scary! It also shredded the belts and fan shroud. Upon further inspection I also discovered that the spot in the frame where the transmission cross-member meets the frame is weak and will need to be plated in. I hope that no other damage was incurred to the car that I have yet to discover... I am wondering if others have had motor mount issues and if there is a good solution to prevent this in the future. The Buick 430 has a lot of torque. Are there aftermarket mounts that are better? Do any of you chain your motor down to prevent the near disaster that I experienced? if so, what is the best method for this? I am also looking for a new fan shroud, any clue where I might find one? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated! Thanks! Dave
A chain works well :TU: Solid mounts is another method but a new set of factory mounts should be fine:Smarty: I think You will have a harder time getting a shroud:eek2:
I had the very same thing happen to me in the 1980's. Unfortunately this is so common with the first generation motor mounts that Buick released a recall fix with a cable and bracket between the left head and control arm shaft that looks like this: More reading here: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?215289-67-Buick-Torque-Strap-Hold-Down Personally I would not use a solid mount on the left side. Instead, look for a mount with an interlocking feature between the two metal halves that only goes to work if the rubber fails. Otherwise you can fab up your own limiting strap using the front, rear or center of the head as a mounting point. Devon
Dont use solid mounts. The BBB will crack around the mounting area. On the 455 in the Skylark I made and installed this hold down It cost less than 20.00$'s
Steve, most 67 full size cars have them (except the Rivs) they do not fit the mid size cars but could probably be modified to work, I may still have one kicking around here, I'll have a look see
Better yet drill hole through the mount and add a locking nut and bolt... The mount will never tear apart this way.
Thanks for all the help. I will have to see if I can find something to use to tie the engine down. Now the hunt begins for a fan shroud...
