Question on Installing Motor Mounts

[Jason Edge]

Someone asked me if the exhaust manifolds have to come off to change the motor mounts? I have zero experience as I always take them off the engine last when I remove an engine and disassemble. 

With that said, with my zero experience of replacing with engine in engine bay, but also looking straight at the 3 bolts/nuts on each mount on my own 64 CDV and from my inferred experience, I would think it would not be that bad if you 1) remove the 3/4" nut and washers at the mount bottom stud where it attached to the frame tower, then push the engine up slightly to get a bit of clearance (needed anyway for the bottom stud to clear the frame town) then use extensions, angle joints and sockets (or ratchet wrenches) to reach the 3 bolts, nuts & washers per mount).  These are not going to be the easiest to get to but much easier than removing the exhaust  manifold.  They also spin pretty easy once you break the split lock washer hold.

As far as pushing the engine up a bit, I can see disconnecting the exhaust pipe to exhaust manifold connection at the rear as that would probably allow the engine to travel up a bit more, but I can't see having to completely remove the exhaust manifolds. I have removed so many of those lower 3/4" nuts I can do that blindfolded in 5 minutes, but those 3 upper smaller bolts on each side will just take some time.

OK, who has swapped out their motor mounts with engine in car? Did you remove the exhaust manifold or not? Explain your process.

thanks, Jason.  

[Phil]

I’m curious myself.  My mounts have smushed a bit and I’ve been avoiding even the thought of getting into it.  

[Kurt]

I swapped mine out a while back (2011) with the engine in the car. It was a combined project of timing chain & rear main seal replacement as well so I had the exhaust pipe & oil pan off. I did not remove the exhaust manifolds. It was pretty much like Jason guessed: remove the nuts & bolts on the mounts and raise the engine slightly. If I remember correctly, I jacked up one side, replaced the mount, lowered it back down then repeated on the other side rather than raising the engine from the middle. I replaced the transmission mount too. It was not the most difficult job I've done on the car. After I was done, it had raised the engine far enough to cause the fan to hit the fan shroud & muffler to bang on the floor board. When I started the car these new noises caused me to say some bad words like  "WTF now?" Luckily it was easy to readjust the shroud & exhaust pipe. The new mounts corrected the driveline angle and got rid of the dreaded "driveshaft rumble" these cars are prone to.

[Jason Edge]

Thanks for the reply and confirming, Kurt! I was pretty sure the exhaust manifolds wouldn't need to come off.

[Luke P]

I have a 62 so I'm not sure If it's much different but I removed the fuel line and generator and that's about it. I took the 3/4 nuts off using 4 different adapters and u joints and bendy things and got the impact on there. As for raising the motor, I thought about it for a week before just putting a block of wood on the jack, positioning it under the front of the oil pan and just sending it up. I did loosen the transmission mount first.
The 3 smaller bolts weren't so bad to remove if it weren't that someone welded the bolts in. Getting new bolts back through was almost impossible. I ended up wrapping the worst access bolts in thin wire, poking it through, and then yanking on the wire and closing my eyes and hoping if I rocked everything enough it would pop through. It did, so I would snip the wire off and yes I just jammed that wire with the nut like you wouldn't believe. The pulley is still too low on the cross member to get any belts off but at least it's not resting on the balancer. I think you have to lift the motor to get the belts off, which will just be those much easier 3/4 nuts.