Is it a good idea to install solid engine and trany mounts or should I stick with the insulated mounts?
are you drag racing ? if you are , i would say yes(but is not a must) if its street then no you dont need it
Always use a flexible trans mount. Even if using motor plate(s) you should use a flex trans mount. Solid mounts should not even be made for a transmission. Engine, yes, but NEVER for a transmission. Sure, someone's going to post in and say "well my trans is solid mounted and has been for 15 years". To them I say you are pushing your luck.
amen to that . on an unrelated,(well sort of, it does have to do with mounting stuff) i watched and laughed as a customer of mine told me how he was gonna weld his harley exhaust to his swing arm!
its a trajectory thing..torque/thrust/pressure...think on it, your a sharp guy eddie, everything moves to the back of the vehicle, imagine if you solid mounted everything, your rearend would twist itself to kansas. thats a long way from where im at. thats the readers digest version.
Simple. The engine can be solidly mounted with no problems. The block is plenty strong to withstand the stresses. The transmission, however, is only mounted at the rear. The crossmember flexes. The body flexes the rear end moves and so does the driveline. If you mount it solid, chances are that you will either break the bellhousing, trans case, or extension housing on the transmission....or if you're really unlucky (like me) it might be a combination of the 3. What happens is this. There is a lot of frame/body/chassis flex happening right at the point where most transmissions are mounted. If you mount the trans solidly, the constant flexing and moving of the chassis will be transmitted directly to the extension housing. Sometimes the extension housing is stronger than the bellhousing and the bell breaks first. Sometimes its the other way around. Sometimes the case cracks somewhere in the middle. I can't count on 2 hands and 2 feet the number of trans bellhousings I've seen cracked/broken due to use of a solid transmission mount. Most were GM transmissions but Ford transmissions aren't immune. Many times I will see someone spend a lot of money (sometimes upwards of $2000) to buy strengthened parts....SuperGlide cases, SFI bellhousings, etc....and STILL use a solid mount when that was the problem all along. Its like trying to teach an old dog new tricks...you just can't get it through to some people. Besides, what does an OEM mount cost? $15? I use one on my Powerglide (yes, a FORD trans mount from a C4)...of all things....and running 5.9X ET in the 1/8, and I've NEVER had a single problem (and don't plan to) with case cracks related to flex. You can't go wrong with a rubber...or even a polyurethane mount. For what a rubber one costs, it's cheaper, works better, and it won't cause you troubles in the long run. Kind of a no brainer, huh?
I made my own semi solid engine mounts. drill out the center rivet (which appears to be a safety to me) And run a bolt thru it. You will have to grind the bolt just a bit to make it clear but it works good. Cheap and easy.
