For the PA and Riv guys, motor mount fix.

[GonneVille]

Enrique, you're gonna hate me for not thinking of this sooner...

Everyone knows by now about the hockey-puck mount that is so great for the 00+ Bonneville, and the later PAs. Well, us platform-mates from prior to 2000 have a little problem, as Oldsman can tell you. Our mounts aren't hydraulic. They have a square bushing, set up-right, and the trans side of the mount is a bracket that has a bolt that goes through the bushing. So we don't even have the hole to install the puck mount.

Well, after the frustrating experience yesterday of trying to get my front header off so I could get a drill in there to MAKE a hole, only to fail because the sleeve fit at the crossover pipe had WELDED itself together, I had a minor brainstorm. I hopped in, headed to Lowe's and grabbed 3' of 3/8" coated steel cable, and a couple cable-clamps. Came back, crawled under the car, and shoved one end of the cable up between the subframe and splash tray right by the motor mount. Then from above, I passed it over the bushing bolt and back down, crossed it under to the other side of the mount, and then back down again. Then I crawled under with the clamps and a ratchet and pulled the cables as tight as I could, and clamped it. Two clamps,for a little extra security. I passed the extra cable back up through the splash tray. So, now my motor mount is restricted to about 1/2" of movement back, which means no THUDding when I force a downshift. It even smoothed out the upshifts alot. And, unlike the puck-mount, it doesn't transfer any more vibration to the frame than an unaltered mount, unless your standing on it.

Old drag-racing trick.

Total cost: About $2. I'll grab some pics tomorrow.

[willwren]

I'm really curious to see how you routed it. Chafing and cutting could be a concern in the long run. Might be nice to rig up something easy to take off and install for track use?

I'm trying to imagine your setup, but I'm having a hard time picturing it.

[Oldsman105]

NOW YOU THINK OF THIS!!!!!


NIce job! Please take pics of this. The Riv guys would love to see this, As do I.

[GonneVille]

Pretty simple, really, run it over either side on the mount, and cross it underneath. I need to clean up the extra, but you want to leave the tails so you can snug it down if it loosens at some point. I'll tuck the tails down today.

[willwren]

Hard to tell for sure, but it looks like it's looped around the subframe? If so, just be aware that it will begin cutting through the subframe slowly over time.

[bruce]

Darn that mount...I remember drilling that hole awhile ago. Interesting idea with the cable though. Good job brian.

[harofreak00]

Why couldn't you make that mount out of a solid piece of aluminum or something?

[GonneVille]

Hard to tell for sure, but it looks like it's looped around the subframe? If so, just be aware that it will begin cutting through the subframe slowly over time.

I've been thinking about that. The plastic coating on the cable will buy me some time there, but I think I'm gonna bang out a couple angles from some steel plate to protect the frame.

[GonneVille]

Why couldn't you make that mount out of a solid piece of aluminum or something?

I can't quite picture what part you would replace/reinforce with a chunk of aluminum?

[harofreak00]

[willwren]

Yup. Much better solution. And you can over-drill the hole and put a piece of reinforced rubber fuel line through the hole first to dampen vibration.

[GonneVille]

Oh, WOW, no. Way too ambitious for me, and even with a rubber liner, it'd be a buzzbox like no other. The best thing would be some hard plastic inserts for the cut-outs in the bushing, but I tried cutting that shape, and one end of it would snap right out under load.
The puck mount is still the best, but for quick-and-dirty, this is beautifully effective.

[BillBoost37]

Looks like a great and simple idea Brian. WTG!

In a sense, it is like what I did. Restricted it from pulling back, but didn't remove the rubber bushing that keeps you from having vibration etc at TCC lockup.

[willwren]

An aluminum block with a rubber liner would be no more of a buzzbox than the 2k hockey puck mount. And it doesn't involve cable clamps or cables wrapped and rubbing around your subframe.

Your cable solution works, but I'd consider it more of an interim thing until you can come up with something more long-term.

[PRD2BDF]

What about using U-bolts and a thick piece of flat steel on the bottom and it won't cut though the subframe.

[bonnevillain]

^exactly what i thought...

[willwren]

Two flat plates above and below with thin rubber in between would be a bit better. Distribute the load evenly across the OEM block and under the subframe.

Good ideas here.

[PRD2BDF]

I also thought if that Brian wanted to keep that set-up, isn't there a grooved channel shaped in a U that he could buy to put on the bottom to keep the cable from cutting through the subframe?