front motor mount '31 Model A

[MattA]

The front motor mount on a '31 Model A is misaligned. The pics are terrible, but the single spring, motor mount base is approximately 3/4" forward of where it should be to be vertical. The belt pulley is dragging on the spring and has worn down the belt and damaged the metal pulley.


Does the motor need to be moved forward? If so, any how-tos available? Any recommendations on how to fix this would be really appreciated.....

 

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Let’s see your rear motor mounts.

 

[MattA]

Are these good enough?

 

[rotorwrench]

That front mount yoke may have wear where the coil springs ride. It looks like they are herniating forward where the belt runs. The pulley looks to be OK but a person can't see much from that angle. I've seen the mount yokes with a lot of wear on the bottom stud too. Those coils ride on a leaf spring that is held centered by that lower yoke stud. I'd inspect that stuff by carefully jacking the engine and removing parts to confirm condition. The hole in the cross member might have problems as well. Loosen and remove the rear mount bolts to jack the engine. I also remove the throttle bell crank.

 

[MattA]

The pics are really terrible -- the pulley has been ground down some. I don't know if it needs replacement yet.



Should I go ahead and pull the radiator and hood panels?

 

[Bob C]

That looks like one of those aftermarket front mounts, get an original type.

 

[rotorwrench]

I would. Pulling the hood & radiator will give a lot more room to work.

 

[Banditorama]

That looks like one of those aftermarket front mounts, get an original type.

Second this. I had that style front motor mount on mine when I first bought it. The hand crank wouldn't line up and it felt like it caused a lot more vibrations and noise in the cabin

 

[Flathead]

It looks like that yoke is bent and the spring is obviously out of place. I would support the motor and get all of the front mount pieces out of there and see what you have, compare to pictures of good parts. Those are aftermarket springs from back when and are not sized correctly, get rid of them.

 

[bobbader]

Agree with Flathead, nothing looks right there. Take it all apart and send more pictures. Everything, including the mount yoke itself, looks strange. Don’t think it’s just the springs.

 

[MattA]

Ok ..... so the radiator is pulled and I tried to get some decent pics. "Tried" is the operative word.















Was getting ready to pull out the engine lift and thought I would post what it looks like. Any gotchas to look for going forward?

 

[Banditorama]

https://web.archive.org/web/20140609222939/http://www.abarnyard.com/workshop/mount.htm

I had the same issue as you when I got my car, I'm pretty sure you have the same style front engine mount that was originally on my car. The new one you got is what you want, but make sure the springs will fully collapse all the way down to 7/8ths of an inch before installation. I had to cut a couple coils off my new set right out of the packaging because they were too tall

 

[Oldgearz]

That looks like one of those aftermarket front mounts, get an original type.

This is the right answer. That "beehive" aftermarket was famous for your problem. Put in the original style. Loosen the rear motor mount bolts. This will let the engine move forward. You may also want to put in new rubber pads on the rear. These are cheap....just more work. You can actually pry the engine slightly forward. I leave the rear mounts loose, thighten down the front SLIGHTLY...do not over tighten. Then start your car and pull forward and back several times letting the clutch out so as to jerk things SLIGHTLY. This will get the motor in its self aligned "comfy" position. Then tighten the rears up and you're good to go.

 

[Bill G]

Deleted. Someone else had the same answer.

 

[Benson]

It is possible that fork installed is one from a Rick Pack and is the wrong shape.

 

[rotorwrench]

I use a wood block to distribute weight and a jack under the oil pan to lift the engine. Remove the throttle bellcrank from the flywheel housing to prevent damage. Loosen or remove the rear mount bolts and it will lift up enough to do the job. The engine can easily be aligned with the front crank bearing block using the hand crank after replacing the mount. Replace that fan belt while your at it.

I don't use the brass bushing. I just use a large area washer on top of the stud fastener spring and against the bottom of the crossmember. That mount needs to be able to move a bit. The brass bushing doesn't let it move. This caused problems with the front crossmember back in the day.

The rear mount did most of the work to arrest engine movement. Float-A-Motor mounts change that. Some folks love them but it puts even more strain on that front mount. I use The OEM mounts due to this. Just make sure the rubber pads on the rear mounts fit properly. Some do and some don't.

 

[nkaminar]

I would recommend rebuilding your rear motor mounts at the same time. The rubber needs to be replaced, both sides.

 

[MattA]

I used an engine hoist to lift the motor after loosening the motor mount bolts (4 per side). Swapped out the front mount. Looks beautiful. Went underneath and the single mounting stud for the front mount is about 1/4" off center (engine is 1/4" closer to passenger side). Even with the weight off the mount, it can't be moved to center.


Any idea what I've done wrong?

 

[rotorwrench]

Are the rear mount bolts all loose? They have slots in most model As to allow movement. Early model As have exceptions due to differences. Most later mounts will move but the frame may be pinched in enough to make it difficult. To clarify, I'm referring to the fit between the box mounts and the flywheel housing.

 

[MattA]

Are the rear mount bolts all loose? They have slots in most model As to allow movement. Early model As have exceptions due to differences. Most later mounts will move but the frame may be pinched in enough to make it difficult. To clarify, I'm referring to the fit between the box mounts and the flywheel housing.

The three bolts in the frame and single bolt on the engine (both sides) have all been loosened. It must be pinched.


Agh. I just looked over a youtube about the rear mounts and it appears they are showing 2 bolts on the housing. I dunno how I missed seeing that. Have to check it tomorrow.