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Homemade motor mounts

66gt350

66gt350

Active Member
After seeing Jeremy's (aka buening) thread on motor mounts, I got the blue prints from him and thought that I'd give it a try. I didn't have any of the correct sized steel laying around, so I just went down to the local supplier and got some remnant 3/8" and 1/4" (I thought that I had gotten 3/16", but turns out I got 1/4"), and some 1 1/4 sched. 40 pipe. It only cost about $15 in steel, plus $10 for some used poly bushings and $10 in all new grade 8 hardware. I rough cut the pieces with a plasma torch (my hand is about as steady as a drunk monkey), and smoothed them out with the grinder. Getting the slots straight was a pain in the butt. But the toughest part was the welding -- I'm not a welder. I used my mig, which looks like I got decent penetration, but the welds look like crap!! I may have to redo those pieces(or take the pieces somewhere and have them welded)...I dont think that they are too square. But I was able to get them mounted on the car. Next, is to find an old oven to get them powder coated, and installed on the car.

These are the stock height brackets, I have enough 1/4" steel left over, so I may make a set of plates for 1/2" drop.

Thanks alot to Jeremy for building an awesome set of plans!!!
 
Does this replace the rubber motor mount? If so, what's the advantage of having a solid mount like this? I imagine it transfers more vibration to the chassis?
 
It's not exactly a solid mount, as it does have poly bushings insulating things. The advantage is that it's a stronger design than stock, one that won't flex or separate under load. I have problems with stock rubber mounts separating every few years with my 331. Could be because I beat on it so much:D But at some point I need to look into something like this.
 
Ah, right. Thinking back, I remember replacing one of my stock mounts because it had separeted from the metal piece on one side.
 
Hey no problem! Looks like it turned out quite nice. I had plenty of hours in front of the bench grinder and some sandpaper smoothing all the edges and such. I didn't have a plasma, so I used a chop saw for the larger stuff and a air cutoff for the smaller stuff and corners. A die grinder with a burr helped with the inside corners. Welding was a challenge, as there isn't a whole lot of room and that triangular-shaped piece ends up being covered with a solid weld. Some suggested to add a stiffener between the Tee piece and the round bushing housing, but as you may have found out there isn't a whole lot of room to install one.

As far as getting the slots, I traced the slots onto the steel from the templates, centerpunched the holes at the end, and then drilled the hole at each end. I then took a air cutoff and cut the slots, stopping at the edge of the hole. They didn't come out the best/straightest but it works good enough for me!

For those that care, you can either use the poly bushings or the stock rubber. I chose to use the stock rubber, but they will compress a bit more than the poly but will not transmit as much vibration. I'll be keeping a close eye on them being that they are rubber. For those that are curious, the bushings are for the rear shackles.
 
Anyone that needs the AutoCAD file or the PDFs (stock height, 1/2" drop, and 1" drop) just send me a PM and I'll try to get it to you as soon as I can.
 
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