Changing out motor mounts.....what the best way?

[shadango]

Ok, so while I am himhawwing on what hood to buy (LOL)  I figured i should swap out the left motor mount on my 318.

Some of you may recall last summer when I ended up installing a chain to keep the ole' 318 from rotating thru my hood....the chain did its job.

But looking to swap that mount out.  I already have an OEM style mount.

But what is the best way to do it with the least amount of trouble as far as supporting the engine on that side to do the swap?

A little nervous....I had supported the engine once with a piece of wood going across the oil pan and then a ratchet strap strung between the frame rails, going across the wood....but all that was needed there was to hold the rear of the engine up.

With the tranny and headers all connected, seems like getting that left side supported and rasied a little to get the new one in will be a pain....

I dont have an engine hoist....is this an excuse to go buy one?  <wink>   

Will likely be tackling this alone....

Any helpful tips guys?

[70 383 SE]

I used a floor hydraulic jack on wheels and it worked fine  loosen the bolt on the other mount just to  relieve some of the resistance.  I didn`t have headers on mine, just over size exhaust, but I had no clearance problems........good luck 

[femtnmax]

I used a floor hydraulic jack on wheels and it worked fine 

  And use the block of wood against bottom of oil pan.  I use a piece of 4x4, it keeps the metal floor jack pad away from the rest of the car.  Also watch for contact between fan and radiator shrould, distributor to firewall, too much stretching of hoses, and anything else that looks iffy.

[Topcat]

  And use the block of wood against bottom of oil pan.  I use a piece of 4x4, it keeps the metal floor jack pad away from the rest of the car.  Also watch for contact between fan and radiator shrould, distributor to firewall, too much stretching of hoses, and anything else that looks iffy.

 

Better to drain the radiator first and at least loosen the hose clamps if not altogether removed. Check tight clearances all around first before starting.

A second set of eyes on top when jacking engine to the angle would be a good idea also. I did this years ago. Not really hard to get done.

[dodj]

Last time I did it I used a regular bottle jack and after the motor mount bolt was out, I put a small piece of 1x2 along the bolt heads that attach the oil pan to the block and jacked that side of the engine up. If you have a fan shroud it would be a good idea to loosen or remove it.

[ShelbyDogg]

I changed out a driver's side which also tore the passenger side mount. Might as well  pull the big bolt off of both mounts when doing one side.

[shadango]

Just to close this out....

I ended up doing both.....loosened up the big bolt on the pass side , did the drivers side.....left the big bolt on the drivers side loose and did the pass. side.

Not tough....although the block bolts on the drivers side were a bit of a PITA....pass. side was easy to access....just pulled down the splash shields first.

Thanks all for the input.

[the_engineers]

Should've swapped to a big block while you had it that far apart 

I'm sure the wife would understand 

[mopar12372]

Should've swapped to a big block while you had it that far apart 

I'm sure the wife would understand 

[ShelbyDogg]

Should've swapped to a big block while you had it that far apart

With the price jump of gas yesterday, he'll be glad that he kept the small block.

BTW, my friends stroked 340 (I don't remember the new C.I)  totally blew my 440 away on the highway.  It was like I was sitting stopped and he was passing me.  (my foot was to the floor).  My other friend has a stroked 318 because he wanted to keep his 73 numbers matching. I heard that his SB is quite a beast too.

[shadango]

With the price jump of gas yesterday, he'll be glad that he kept the small block.

BTW, my friends stroked 340 (I don't remember the new C.I)  totally blew my 440 away on the highway.  It was like I was sitting stopped and he was passing me.  (my foot was to the floor).  My other friend has a stroked 318 because he wanted to keep his 73 numbers matching. I heard that his SB is quite a beast too.

I dont know about the mileage.....with 2.76s I get about 12-13 highway, 10 city.  I have my foot in it all the time though.  LOL....

Though I wouldnt mind the bragging rights of a big block, I dont know that I will ever go that route in this car.

It would mean buying EVERYTHING new again...and I already bought new headers (Dougs), have a grand into the sb 727 tranny with a  tci breakaway converter,  have a nice rad in place, exhaust is sized for the small block, etc etc etc....all that would be history.

My  lil 318 is a lot of fun to drive so far and I cant wait to see what the new 3.55s I have on order are going to do!

No, I do think right now at least that I will go with a stroked small block when the time comes.....

My wife actually , though, only half jokingly said the same thing...LOL..."while you are at it, are you going to get a hemi?" 

LOL

i have a keeper.     she supports my mopar addiction...so far at least.