In a 66, does a set of 65 motor mounts drop the engine at all?

[SadbutTrue]

I believe I had heard that the 65 motor mounts sit the engine slightly lower than 66 mounts. Is that true? How much?

Are there any disadvantages to the 65 mounts (i had heard that they might not be good for transmission-to-differential pinion angle, and that they aren't as strong... are either of these major concerns)?

If the 65's aren't lower or I can't use them, what companies offer aftermarket drop mounts for 66s?

I'm trying to get my 351w with Weiand Stealth intake under the stock hood. My first attempt with a drop-base air cleaner (a mild drop base) was unsuccessful, gonna need to trim an inch or two off the total height. I got summit's lowest profile circular air cleaner, but if that doesn't work I'm gonna have to address it via motor mounts.

 

[SadbutTrue]

anyone?

 

[mustangman1974]

Yes the early ones do drop the motor about an inch or so. There is a right and left mount too, but don;t ask me which is which I got mine all confused when I put in the new motor.

 

[SadbutTrue]

Yes the early ones do drop the motor about an inch or so. There is a right and left mount too, but don;t ask me which is which I got mine all confused when I put in the new motor.

do you know if there are any issues with strength or anything? i wonder why they decided to raise the engine for 66s.

also, i don't currently have an issue with my t-5 vibrating due to pinion angle. i dont want to start having one... will this affect pinion angle at all?

 

[HookandLadder]

The old mounts are not as strong. There is a left and a right. They will not dramatically affect your pinion angle. They will give you more clearance, but be careful of exhaust clearance as the engine will sit 1/2 to 1" lower depending on the application.

 

[blown65]

do you know if there are any issues with strength or anything? i wonder why they decided to raise the engine for 66s.

also, i don't currently have an issue with my t-5 vibrating due to pinion angle. i dont want to start having one... will this affect pinion angle at all?

I know I've torn two of them in half. (65 version) My new set has a nice big arse bolt going thru the one side. I'm going to switch to those adjustable solid mounts though soon. I also had my drivetrain angles checked and my trans to driveline angle was correct, my pinion to driveshaft was off by about 2 degrees but I'm going to get that fixed this winter.

 

[mustangman1974]

There is a way to strengthen them by bolting them together. I believe it used to be the the old FAQs. As far a pinion angle yeah by lowering the engine you are changing the trans, not by much so it depends on the angle spec'd pinion angle. I believe ron morris has another type of engine mount with the same height as the easly modle, but it is a solid mount.

 

[SadbutTrue]

blown65 - so did you go to the hardware store and replace the bolt that the set came with with some grade 8 bolt, or did you have to drill/otherwise concoct something strange?

mustangman - are the 'old FAQs' still up? i'd go do some reading on them if someone could point me in the gneeral direction.

I'll check out the ron morris mounts too, if they aren't too much more maybe I'll go that route.

 

[dennis112]

I started out with a Stealth on my 393w in my 65'. It was a tight fit but it can be done. Now I have a Vic Jr!!!!!

The 65' mounts drop the motor approximately 1". The 351w oil pan will be about 1/4"-3/8" above the tubular cross member. You really can't get much lower, especially if you use an aftermarket oil pan such as the Canton as the RH steering link by the pitman arm will be running real close to it..

The 65' mounts are not as strong as the 66' and newer mounts. I drill 2 countersunk holes through the mounts and use a tapered bolt with nuts on the engine side. That is only part of the problem. The steel structure on the driver's side can also be distorted, especially with 5400rpm launches with a 4 speed and drag slicks--guess how I know?????

Here is the link that I use to mod my mounts: http://www.erareplicas.com/fiaman/engine/mountmod.htm

This year I replaced my mounts with similar 65' type (modded) and added a chain to the sway bar area. So far its held up very, very well--it gets inspected after every trip to the track. I have in my possession a pair of the Ron Morrison adjustable drop mounts and they will be installed sometime in the future.

As far as air cleaners go, I had good luck with a drop base made by Holley and found on the shelf at Advance Auto. I also discovered that chokeless Holley carbs are slightly lower than the choked counterpart.

Good Luck!

 

[blown65]

blown65 - so did you go to the hardware store and replace the bolt that the set came with with some grade 8 bolt, or did you have to drill/otherwise concoct something strange?

mustangman - are the 'old FAQs' still up? i'd go do some reading on them if someone could point me in the gneeral direction.

I'll check out the ron morris mounts too, if they aren't too much more maybe I'll go that route.

Just drilled a hole and put a bolt thru, but like dennis said, the mount may start to bend. Since mine is an auto its a little nicer to the mounts. For most though I think just the bolt method would suit fine. (no issues with it seperating)

 

[SadbutTrue]

I started out with a Stealth on my 393w in my 65'. It was a tight fit but it can be done. Now I have a Vic Jr!!!!!

The 65' mounts drop the motor approximately 1". The 351w oil pan will be about 1/4"-3/8" above the tubular cross member. You really can't get much lower, especially if you use an aftermarket oil pan such as the Canton as the RH steering link by the pitman arm will be running real close to it..

The 65' mounts are not as strong as the 66' and newer mounts. I drill 2 countersunk holes through the mounts and use a tapered bolt with nuts on the engine side. That is only part of the problem. The steel structure on the driver's side can also be distorted, especially with 5400rpm launches with a 4 speed and drag slicks--guess how I know?????

Here is the link that I use to mod my mounts: Modifying the engine mounts

This year I replaced my mounts with similar 65' type (modded) and added a chain to the sway bar area. So far its held up very, very well--it gets inspected after every trip to the track. I have in my possession a pair of the Ron Morrison adjustable drop mounts and they will be installed sometime in the future.

As far as air cleaners go, I had good luck with a drop base made by Holley and found on the shelf at Advance Auto. I also discovered that chokeless Holley carbs are slightly lower than the choked counterpart.

Good Luck!

Yeah, I've been telling a few people that ask me how the 351w fits in 65/66s about your case.

One random question... not sure if you're familiar with heddman 351w swap long tubes for 65/66s, but do you know if that little bit of engine drop is gonna put them against the shock towers? That'd be a pain.

A few people told me to check out local auto parts stores for drop cleaners, but it appears the ones they stock are essentially the same basic shape as the one i already had. I tried a TRD one and its almost exactly the same, maybe a quarter in lower because it has a shorter mounting flange, but the most difference i could see was maybe 1/4". I just ordered an uber low profile one, but the label on it warns that it doesn't clear some carbs' electric choke, and I have a feeling it'll have issues with my Holley Street Avenger's.

If that air cleaner doesn't work, I'll try to strengthen the 65 mounts as you say. Luckily, I don't anticipate any 5,000 rpm launches with my car, so hopefully strength/bending won't be too much of an issue.

 

[66Runt]

There are two different styles of V8 '65 mounts. K code and standard. If using the standard mounts two things (besides what has been discussed above):
1). Heat shields (the vulcanizing does not take the heat real well
2). No oil leaks (breaks down the rubber pretty quick.

Beef up the L-brackets, use a torque strap, keep the heat and oil away, and they work pretty well.
If you are fortunate enough to find the K code cast frame mounts, then this post is a waste of your reading time.

 

[Tony R]

I must have the early style 65 mounts in my 65 289 because the header tubes were rubbing on the drivers side tower and right next to the passenger side. I was not aware that there was a difference in the mounts. I was thinking that I was going to try to remedy the problem with a set of block huggers.

 

[coolblue65]

Just drilled a hole and put a bolt thru, but like dennis said, the mount may start to bend. Since mine is an auto its a little nicer to the mounts. For most though I think just the bolt method would suit fine. (no issues with it seperating)

I drilled a 1/2" hole through mine, and use a Grade 8 bolt with a locking nut and tighten it till just snug. I broke 3 or 4 mounts before I learned that trick. So far so good but we will see how they hold up with my sticky tires that are going on.

 

[dennis112]

Yeah, I've been telling a few people that ask me how the 351w fits in 65/66s about your case.

One random question... not sure if you're familiar with heddman 351w swap long tubes for 65/66s, but do you know if that little bit of engine drop is gonna put them against the shock towers? That'd be a pain.

Sorry, I am not familiar with the hedman swap headers in a 65/66.

Yes, using any drop motor mount will put the motor further down in the "V". You must anticipate that the headers are going to rub. This problem is prevalent in a 65/66 and is almost unavoidable due to the narrow engine compartment and the angle that the exhaust must leave the motor. I've struggled with this in the past, and finally gave in. I mocked up the motor in the engine compartment using the Accufab swap headers. I marked my shock towers where they were most likely to rub and in what angles and then removed the motor/headers. Then, while holding my breath, I used a round piece of pipe and a hammer and massaged my shock towers to conform to the headers. It was really quite easy to do and has been trouble free. The only time I have dented the header was when the above mentioned motor mount bent at the track. It would only take me an afternoon to massage the shock tower back to its original configuration if I wanted to go stock again--I doubt if that will ever happen.

66Runt makes a good point that I forgot about. I made a lightweight 1/16" thick V shaped aluminum heat shield for my driver's motor mount as the headers run right along side it. I also needed to remove about 1/4" of the end of the mount for clearance. With the bolts added, no strength will be lost. I've never had the good fortune of having a set of hipo motor mounts in my hands (as mentioned, they require the frame mounts too.)

The standard passenger car pedestal motor mounts is what I use and they are about $9 a side from my local autoparts store. The Ron Morris motor mounts I have sitting in the box were a little spendy at $200, but with the chain torque strap installed, I haven't been in too much of a hurry to install them and will probably use a strap anyways. It is kind of funny that the 5/16" thick link chain that I originally installed now has about 3/8" of slack after 30 or so hard drag runs.

These old pics show the driver's side heat shield that I made:

The passenger side did not need a shield, but I made a 1/16" spacer for the passenger side to match the thickness used on the driver's side:

 

[SadbutTrue]

well, the swap headers were designed to fit in 65s as well as 66s. hopefully there's room, I don't feel like spending hours 'massaging' the shock towers (especially since we've been trying to avoid pulling the motor this entire project, and the shock towers are going to be hard to massage without doing so..

 

[SadbutTrue]

Can someone show me what a 'torque strap' is? Unfamiliar with them...

 

[blown65]

Its just a strap from the block/heads to the frame of the car to keep the engine from twisting under load or motor mount failure. Some use a turnbuckle, or a chain.

 

[Opentracker]

Some how-to info. We run both on our cars.

Modifying the engine mounts

FORDMUSCLE.com webmagazine - Engine Torque Strap