Engine alignment in car

[Grabinov911]

Gents,

I am continuing to struggle with an engine which is slightly out of linear alignment with the car. It is rotated to the left, or counterclockwise from the top, in the engine bay such that the tailshaft housing of the transmission is toward the right side of the trans tunnel. I am running a Gear Vendor with a wide flange which connects where the factory tailshaft housing would be - just behind the torsion bar crossmember / transmission mount. The flange rattles against the body at idle when the engine is rumbling and rocking - the big cam rumble.

I've done a bunch of shoving and adjusting so it is not nearly as bad as it was when this photo was taken, during the initial installation, but it's still misaligned a bit.



I am using Dynamount engine mounts and was thinking of switching companies to one from Schumacher or someone else, but in looking carefully, it is clear the the mount I have may allow me to "shim" the left side of the engine forward. The photo below shows the left side of the engine (sorry if this is obvious - power steering, oil dipstick, etc.). The front of the car is to the left.



The Dynamount has the same attachment points as the stock mounts in that it rests "behind" the ears on the engine, with through bolts running through the mount and the ear. Because the mount is behind the engine, if I were to put a washer between the mount and the ear at each of the three engine ears, the left side of the engine would move forward by the thickness of the washer. That 1/32 of an inch might result in a couple of degrees of rotation - fan to the right, tailshaft to the left. Five feet back at the tailshaft that might make a big difference.

I checked and I have enough clearance between the fan and radiator to make it work.

Is there and structural danger to placing a washer in there? Seems unlikely, but hey, no harm in asking.

Can I support the engine with a jack (and a piece of heavy plywood to spread the load) under the oil pan while I do it - one bolt at a time?

 

[Cranky]

Engine rotation? The engine is suppose to sit toward the passenger side and there should be enough adjustment to make it sit level. Is that what you're asking? Not real sure what the problem is.....

 

[Grabinov911]

Sorry, trying to be clear here. The block is stock, the k-frame is stock and the mounts are essentially stock reproduction mounts. That said, I believe the engine is sitting where it should be with regard to the left/right of the car. The transmission case is stock and mounted to the engine in the normal way. But the trans tailshaft housing IS misaligned toward the right of the tunnel by about a 1/3 of an inch. If I look carefully, I can see that the whole engine is "turned" very slightly toward the left side of the car.

Put another way, imagine a straight line running from front to back through the car in line with the path of travel. The crankshaft and tailshaft of the transmission should be parallel to that line - even if not centered in the car. My engine is not parallel, but turned very slightly to the left.

So: How does the engine come to be rotated to the left? My best guess is that the Dynatech engine mount is not EXACTLY like the factory one, or it was manufactured slightly out of adjustment. As you know it's got steel, then rubber, then steel.

I can't think of any other explanation for the misalignment given a stock body, a stock block, trans case, k-frame, etc. Unless the K-frame itself is misaligned.

 

[440beep]

Are you sure you have the engine mounts on the correct sides? The stock driver side mount has a "strengthening" tube that runs through it.

 

[Grabinov911]

Here's the stock mount as it sat on the factory 383:



It is behind the ears on the block, just as in the picture above.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

One of those mounts is off kilter! Spacing with washers are a pita but could work. One of your mounts is too far forward or too far back so one is made wrong.imp:

 

[Grabinov911]

Much thanks to Hemi-itis. Yeah getting those nuts off and the bolts out far enough to add a washer is not gonna be easy. It MAY be impossible as I'm pretty sure every normal person installs the mount on the engine and then the engine into the car. But I'm gonna give it a try.

I'm not crazy. I've looked at all the angles, taken all the measurements. I've explained as best as possible and I think sufficiently to understand what I'm saying. The distance from the engine center to the engine mount is about 12". The distance from the same point to the Gear Vendor flange is 48". It's an L with a 1 foot leg and a 4 foot leg. That means a 1/16" shift at the mount is good for a 1/4" (4 times) at the flange. That's enough for me. No more rattle...

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I threw my MMs in the trash a long time ago. A one piece engine plate now.

 

[Daves69]

Maybe some dimensions can help ............

http://ttiexhaust.com/Footnotes/39.htm

 

[Grabinov911]

Thanks Dave. Just checked. My dimensions look correct based on the TTI table.

Well it took about an hour and a half to get the three nuts off the engine mount bolts. The one on the top rear comes off one click at a time with a socket wrench from the bottom.

There IS a strengthening tube on the mount (driver's side) on the bottom bolt. Definitely the correct mount for that side.

 

[Warhorse]

It's been a few years since you posted this, but I'm having the same problem installing a GV overdrive unit, and came to the same conclusion about installing some shims. How did that work for you?

 

[Cranky]

It's been a few years since you posted this, but I'm having the same problem installing a GV overdrive unit, and came to the same conclusion about installing some shims. How did that work for you?

I think the end of post #7 says it worked.

 

[Warhorse]

And since there are not more posts concerning any issues I think you are correct, thanx Cranky.