Motor Mounts & Tranny Stabilizer

[billyocup]

I'm trying to get the engine back in my 75 and I keep running up against stuff I don't know enough about to know if it's right, wrong or I'm missing something, so I'd appreciate a little help.

First - I got new Daystar motor mounts, but they don't seem to fit square on the mount bracket (see first pic). Does it make any difference, should I ream the holes out until they fit square or should I send them back and get something else?

Second - I ordered a new tranny stabilizer stud and bushings. The second pic is of the old stud (see the wear marks) and the new stud. They're not exactly the same, but pretty close. The next 2 pics show the stud with the bushings mounted to the mounting plate. The lip on the bushings is smaller than the hole on the plate and the stud seems about a 1/4" too long ( but its the same as the old one). I looked at the parts diagrams and it doesn't show anything else, but am I missing some parts or do I have the wrong parts or what? The PO kinda had this whole assembly cobbled together with home made bushing and such, so I really don't know how it was supposed to look in the first place.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Bill

 

[Torxhead]

Before you start opening up holes, I would think you would want to see how it fits, maybe loosing up bolts and moving things around first. The purpose of that torque arm on the Transmission is to stop the engine/tranny/t-case from twisting to much since when in back gear there can be a lot of load on it. So how ever you get it to work with that stud and bushings should be fine. I know on the later CJs the engine location is critical since the clutch bellcrank must be perpendicular to the frame or it will put too much load on the ball pivots and they can break. Weak motor mounts or an out of alignment engine location can cause this.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

I know it sucks but I would place the motor back into the frame and see how it sits. Your motor should tilt to the rear a couple of degrees to help get the oil back to the pick up in the pan. I think 5* is about where it should be at. Hopefully some one with a little more Knowledge can reply and give a solid answer. My current project motor sits at about 3-4*. Maybe the mounts were designed with this angle in mind.

 

[73CJ]

Maybe the mounts were designed with this angle in mind.

The stabilizer bushing does not control the angle of the motor/tranny.

For years I ran an extra bushing on the top if mine, then I machined one that was actuallly squishes the bushing slightly.

When they were loose with the original stud, they keep destroying themselves.

Besides I didn't like the shift knobs rocking so wildly.

 

[billyocup]

I know it sucks but I would place the motor back into the frame and see how it sits. Your motor should tilt to the rear a couple of degrees to help get the oil back to the pick up in the pan. I think 5* is about where it should be at. Hopefully some one with a little more Knowledge can reply and give a solid answer. My current project motor sits at about 3-4*. Maybe the mounts were designed with this angle in mind.

Jimbo - I don't have a problem slinging the engine back into the frame. Just trying to sort this out if possible before hand. I understand what you're saying about the motor tilting toward the rear, but my concern is with the way these mounts are skewed on the bracket, they would actually reduce that tilt toward the rear. I also have a 2 1/2" lift, which means I will probably be needing to space down the tranny and tc some and it seems like I would be adding more twist stress on the motor mounts towards the rear.

Torxhead & 73CJ - I understand what the stabilizer at the Transmission does, I was just surprised at the loose fit, but from what I'm getting from 73CJ, it sounds like that's the way the thing was designed?

Thanks for the input guys. Still not sure I know how to attack this, but it gives me stuff to think about.

Bill

 

[73CJ]

When you drop the tc, loosen the front motor mounts. There's plenty of clearance in the mount holes.

I've never seen a factory stabilizer compress tight. Doesn't help the stock clutch bell crank stay in place either. That's why I originally redid mine.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Jimbo - I don't have a problem slinging the engine back into the frame. Just trying to sort this out if possible before hand. I understand what you're saying about the motor tilting toward the rear, but my concern is with the way these mounts are skewed on the bracket, they would actually reduce that tilt toward the rear. I also have a 2 1/2" lift, which means I will probably be needing to space down the tranny and tc some and it seems like I would be adding more twist stress on the motor mounts towards the rear.

Torxhead & 73CJ - I understand what the stabilizer at the Transmission does, I was just surprised at the loose fit, but from what I'm getting from 73CJ, it sounds like that's the way the thing was designed?

Thanks for the input guys. Still not sure I know how to attack this, but it gives me stuff to think about.



Bill

With out the motor in the frame your not going to know exactly how it will end up sitting. The mounts on the frame side also may have a small amount of tilt to them if you could drop it in for a test fit that may shed some light on your motor mount problem. As for the stabilizer Ive never seen one tight either.. I think by designe they have a little bit of play.

 

[billyocup]

Thanks Guys - I appreciate the info and the help .

I may have solved my motor mount concerns. I pulled the old ones out and put them in place and they are skewed off square about the same as the new ones, so I guess that's the way they were designed, so I'm going to go ahead and drop the engine back in the frame and see where I at.

As for the stabilizer, I got a PM from another guy who was having the same issue with the bushings. He had pics of the original OEM bushings, Poly bushings, OEM replacement bushings and a set of bushings he got from a local Jeep shop. They were all different thicknesses and none of the fit exactly tight. I'll come up with some way of getting a reasonably tight fit so there's not so much slop in it.

Bill