Note to self (and others) when using new motor mounts

[storm9c1]

On 67-72 trucks, if you decide to replace your engine mounts (or drop in an engine with new mounts), save yourself 3 hours of work and loosen the engine mount cradles/brackets on the frame. Do this after you remove the mount bolts (one on each side) and lift the engine a bit to release the weight.

I don't know what happened to my brain because I spent 3 hours fighting one engine mount bolt that was literally off by 1/8". I tried everything from more lifting and dropping, to pushing to prying, to lots of profanity. But nothing would make up that 1/8" to get the bolt in straight (I got one side and left it loose but could never get the other started). Of course I also cross threaded it and had to run a tap through it to clean up the threads.

Finally when I loosened the bolts attaching the brackets/cradles on each side at the frame, the brackets wiggled enough and the engine sunk down to the place I needed to thread in the attaching bolt. Then it hit me that I should have done that 3 hours prior. At that time, I also realized that it's MUCH easier to put the engine mount bolts in without fussing with the right engine height on the hoist once those brackets are loose on the frame (much more room to play). I left the frame bolts really loose but still in place. Then simply lift the brackets up to the engine rather than trying to lower the engine into the brackets. There is more play where the brackets bolt to the frame than you would think since the holes are elongated and widened. Much more than 1/8".

(Double face palm moment)

Hopefully I'll save someone else the insanity (especially when switching to polyurethane motor mounts).

Even when we've done something many times before, the simplest things sometimes escape us.