Motor Mounts

I have totally changed my motor mount scheme. The crossmember that I did for the 230 engine, wont work for the new 292 because the right side motor mount is in a different location on this motor (I decided it must be due to the long stroke causing crank to cam clearance issues which force the fuel pump to move right to where the motor mount should have been). I made some flanges that weld into the truck frame to hold pretty much any kind of motor mount that I am likely to need.

Now I can bolt a custom motor mount bracket to my frame, which I think is the way that GM has managed this problem for decades. Welding on the frame is a lot different than welding on the bench. When I am welding brackets and frame members on the welding table, I can turn them any way I want to get better access. On the truck frame, It is were it is, and I have to deal with it. If that means standing on my head and welding with one hand, then that's what I have to do. Some of the welds are kind of ugly.

Which brings me to welding with holes in your jeans. DONT DO IT. I have gotten a few stings in the past from welding sparks finding the hole, but this is the first (and last) time that I have had a large bead of weld spatter roll down inside my jeans. It was hot enough to burn a hole thru my jeans, from the inside out! It left a nasty burn on my leg too. Monica wants me give up on the whole thing and just go watch sports TV all day like a normal guy.

I made my own motor mount perches from some of the box tubing left over from my crossmember.

This is an earlier picture, but shows how the perch will fit to a "Camaro style" motor mount. I call this a Camaro motor mount because they were used on my 68 Camaro, but they were used on tons of other cars too.


Still paying attention? This is where all the pieces come together. Frame to flange to plate to cardboard to perch to motor mount to bracket to engine. Wait, was that cardboard?

I  used cardboard templates for left and right motor mount frame brackets. The next step is to copy these into steel, and hope that they still fit. Because the cardboard is relatively flexable, it can be "pushed" into fitting well, without even realizing that you are pushing. Steel is not so forgiving, and can require a lot of widdling to make it fit right

I cut out the pieces, then clamped them in place on the truck, then tack welded them.

Then take them back off and finish the welding. Heat distortion isnt so much of a problem with the MIG welder, things tend to stay pretty straight.

Then finally paint them and put them back on the truck. They came out pretty good actually, they fit nice. But the shiny paint really shows off my amateur welding skills.

Motor mounts are done. Next!