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Solid Motor Mounts being a nightmare for install?

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Old Apr 27, 2013 | 10:30 AM
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Default Solid Motor Mounts being a nightmare for install?

Alright so I am trying to drop my LSx with my solid motor mounts (all trans dapt stuff) this weekend. Problem? Those mounts are hell to line up! Never had so much difficulty. I know the swing arm type engine crane doesn't help my case, but still, shouldn't be like this. I keep on getting one side to sit right in, and the other then is a touch.... off. I know others have had this issue. Any suggestions?
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Old Apr 27, 2013 | 11:45 AM
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with solid mounts... you have to have the engine in exactly the right position for them to line up...
if the back is too high or too low, it wont line up, if its twisted to one side or the other, it wont line up.....

it is an exact fit only type of device....no flex....

try leaving the bolts loose, only a couple of threads engaged....so you have some play room before going to snug them up.

also, sometimes things get tweaked, so you need to grind out a hole a little bit on one of the mounts to compensate for the ever so slightly tweaked frame/k-member. (even just 1mm difference is enough to make it impossible to line up.)
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Old Apr 30, 2013 | 08:33 PM
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Hey thanks. I heard about the idea of loosening the bolts, but am deathly afraid to modify them at all. If I can't get it with the loosening trick, I won't hesitate to widen the holes a little.
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Old Apr 30, 2013 | 08:43 PM
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Try a prybar. Sometimes they need a little manhandling to go in the right way.
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Old May 1, 2013 | 04:22 AM
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loosen all the bolts. Drop the motor in put the cross bolts through and suck all the nuts down tight. More often than not that's how it has to be done.
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Old May 1, 2013 | 05:42 PM
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Are you using adapter plates?? Some of the manufacturers of adapter plates don't account for the thickness of the plate itself which means you need to open up the holes on the frame or mounts to account for the thickness of the the plates... I had to do this with my soft mounted cheapo adapter plates
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Old May 23, 2013 | 05:46 PM
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Ya i am using adapter plates. Now though I've got it in. Out of curiosity, do you all think its ok to let the engine sit in the bay without the trans installed yet? I would think the trans distributes the weight across the frame more evenly. I ask because I won't get a chance to work on the car for a couple of weeks, but would like to move the crane away. I only left it there in case it should need "support."
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Old May 23, 2013 | 06:54 PM
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Put a jack stand and block of wood under the rear of the oil pan.
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Old May 24, 2013 | 07:10 PM
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With solid mounts, the engine isnt going anywhere. You can leave it suspended by only the mounts. With rubber/poly mounts it needs some support in the rear

FYI, solid mounts held my 6.0/4L80E combo up with no trans mount. Didnt budge. Jack under the trans mount had bled down over the month it was sitting
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Old May 24, 2013 | 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by spacemanspif
Are you using adapter plates?? Some of the manufacturers of adapter plates don't account for the thickness of the plate itself which means you need to open up the holes on the frame or mounts to account for the thickness of the the plates... I had to do this with my soft mounted cheapo adapter plates
I agree
Depends on adapter plate thickness, settling, and minor differences in the frame. Chevy even used shims on some cars. This is why I took some scrap and made a Big A$$ set of dividers. Waaaay easier to measure the mounts installed on the engine. I made my own plates and used Moroso solids.
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Old May 26, 2013 | 02:58 PM
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Again thanks guys. I'm going to pull the crane away just neaten up my work area this weekend. In the future I think I might just do my own fabbed up mounts. Fab skills increase, and the adapter plates just don't work everywhere so easily....
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Old May 27, 2013 | 10:38 AM
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Home made solids are about the easiest things to fab for the swap and can account/correct many issues like headers, pan, un-levelness etc

Sets similar to these are quick and easy to fab up

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