Rant: I hate chrysler

[kiwigtx]

I wonder why they did not weld the nuts to the bracket that holds the engine mount & bolts to the engine.
It would be so much easier then.

Edit: Or maybe not. Need to look at this again.

Probably to allow for a little play, and also makes parts interchangeable between models.

 

[Michael_]

Because there's always someone that finds a way to cross-thread a fastener.

They already came off hard so that must have been the guy before me.
But as i said you can't see any visual damage to the threads really.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Thinking about it this in combination with the fact that there is almost no working room is why i hate this job so much.
If there was more working room it wouldn't be to bad and if those bolts came off easy it would also be way easier to do...

When I was eighteen I changed allot of motor mounts, I use to beat my cars pretty hard & being eighteen I had no money for good parts so cheap or used parts were how I kept my stuff running.... The first time I did motor mounts I cussed & sweated & it took a couple hours... Getting it apart took longer than putting it together... The second time I did it in under an hour... The third time I probably had it down to 35 minutes... I knew what tools fit, I knew what angles gave the best access & fact it, I was eighteen, I was flexible, I was strong & I was strong willed... I wasn't gonna let a car defeat me.. That was forty five years ago... Now I can't bend my body in the weird ways I would need to, hell I can barely crawl under a car without grunting & groaning in pain..... But if I had too I suspect I could still do the job in a couple hours.... But I don't have to, I have a lift, air tools, flex sockets, extensions long enough that I can stand back three feet while I unbolt everything, then put a stand under the engine, lower the car enough to allow me to lift the mounts out, swap the broken mount & reinstall... With the proper tools I can still do the job in under an hour....

 

[DeltaV]

They already came off hard so that must have been the guy before me.
But as i said you can't see any visual damage to the threads really.

They were hard to get off because of the feature described in post #50.

You wouldn't have gotten them off if they had been cross-threaded.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

I changed them out on my ‘68 Satellite wagon with the 273. I thought they were welded on that. It was back in 2011... the memory is foggy.

The bolt that attaches the mount to the K member has a welded nut, the bolts/nuts that attach the mount/bracket to the engine are loose, fine thread & locking nuts...

 

[BeepBeepRR]

Let me tell you something: It was NOT a great idea to put a big block (440 in my case) in that (to) SMALL engine bay!

You can't reach ****.
There is almost no working room, kinda like a modern car.

Even something "simple" like changing spark plugs makes you want to scrap the car.

Don't get me wrong. It's a beautiful looking and driving car, comfy and nice with in my case a/c and even cruise control.
But the people that decided that this MAINTENANCE NIGHTMARE is worth 90k in #3 condition must be OUT OF THEIR ******* MIND.

Why am i so mad?

Well i just spent 5 hours together with my dad trying to change the motor mounts.
We managed to change 1 (passenger side) and i'm not sure if it's possible to swap the driver side mount without pulling the engine. (even less working room)
Everytime we repair something on this car it's the same story: Almost no working room. Most of the time you can barely fit a wrench.

Not a great design from a maintenance point of view.
Look at my 72 cutlass supreme (It has an sbo but even the ones with bbo seem to have way more working room in pictures)
or look at a 70 chevelle (same platform), 69 camaro or 67 impala for example.
Those all seem to be way more maintenance friendly due to having more working room.

I don't know. I kinda spent 50k on this car to punish myself.
Could've bought a 70 chevelle ls6 for the same money at that point.
Yeah the mopars look the best and we've got the hemi (unfortunately i don't have a hemi personally) but i think the chevelle would be the better choice for the non masochist mechanic.

If you want a charger better get it with a slant 6.
Or hire your own personal pitiable creatures (mechanics) to do the work for you. (Like Jay Leno does)

I should do like hoovie from hoovies garage.
Make videos about how great these cars are and let someone else do the crappy work for me while making money at the same time.

Its an apples to oranges comparison. Oldsmobiles and Chevelles are full framed cars. Unibody cars are a whole different species.They make GM cars accessible because they know they will be worked on. And I call some serious bullshit on GM cars being easier to work on. I have a firebird in my garage and its the worst pile of **** to work on. First off its a 403 Olds car. I put a 455 Olds back into it. You have to have custom headers the motor mounts don't line up and other various issues with the damn thing. I wonder how in the hell the engineers at Mopar figured out how to stuff anything from a 225 slant 6 to a 426 hemi into a B-Body..

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Well... If you want allot of posts in your thread very quickly just smack talk old Mopars.....

 

[Michael_]

But I don't have to, I have a lift, air tools

I wished countless times to have that stuff today.
But i would think you have a hard time fitting air tools in that little space? Well i haven't really looked into what's on the market yet.
It would not be a problem to buy a lift, we even have a service pit but the garage is to small for the charger.

So what i need is to build a bigger garage and i can't afford to do that at this time unfortunately.

 

[Photon440]

2. A small block Olds and a big block are the exact same dimensions. Bet you didn't know that.

Just try to put an Olds 350 intake onto a 455

 

[eldubb440]

Well... If you want allot of posts in your thread very quickly just smack talk old Mopars.....

friggin rust buckets

 

[BeepBeepRR]

403 olds and a 455 olds are different. One is a small block on is a big block but if they were in 2 different areas of your shop you couldn't tell the difference unless they were side by side.

 

[eldubb440]

I wished countless times to have that stuff today.
But i would think you have a hard time fitting air tools in that little space? Well i haven't really looked into what's on the market yet.
It would not be a problem to buy a lift, we even have a service pit but the garage is to small for the charger.

So what i need is to build a bigger garage and i can't afford to do that at this time unfortunately.

if it was easy, everyone would do it

 

[1 Wild R/T]

But i would think you have a hard time fitting air tools in that little space?

Thats the thing, as someone who's turned wrenches my whole life I don't always look at things the way a rookie would... You want to get the air tools in close to the fasteners... With the car on a lift I have room, I can use a three foot long extension & flex sockets, If I can see the fastener I can get a flex socket on it... And if I can get a flex socket on it I can turn it.... The front bolts require some gymnastics but they can be done, the rear bolts are easy....

 

[slimt]

I wished countless times to have that stuff today.
But i would think you have a hard time fitting air tools in that little space? Well i haven't really looked into what's on the market yet.
It would not be a problem to buy a lift, we even have a service pit but the garage is to small for the charger.

So what i need is to build a bigger garage and i can't afford to do that at this time unfortunately.

Key to working on any car. Is to be safe doing so. Small jack stands are a hazard. I use the 5 ton stands ( always two in the front. ) Block rear wheels , both sides. Leave the jack in the upright. As a precaution.

Air tools are nice but Cross threading or not having access can be a challenge.

Think of the steps prior to removing parts. The first item removed is some times the last installed. Bag the bolts and tag for each part they belong too.

 

[DeltaV]

@Michael_ are you going to replace the transmission mount too?

 

[Michael_]

@Michael_ are you going to replace the transmission mount too?

At least i have a replacement.
If necessary i will look into this aswell.

 

[moparedtn]

Just try to put an Olds 350 intake onto a 455

Yeah yeah, 455 deck height is taller I know...

 

[Michael_]

A small block Olds and a big block are the exact same dimensions. Bet you didn't know that.

I really did not know that actually.
That explains why there is still so much working room with a big block in.
But thats not the case for a 350sbc vs 454bbc or is it? Because that ls6 chevelle's engine bay still has so much room left.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Just a few thoughts..

1) The reason your fan ate you radiator could be due to the mounts allowing the engine to move, it could be to far forward... That can fight you when you attempt to put the new mounts in....

2) Also did you either remove the fan or at least unbolt the shroud while doing the mounts?

3) If I do a trans mount these days I use the poly insert, the replacement mounts are mostly junk & the poly works well...

5) As was mentioned by someone else in your post about the radiator I use and recommend the Hayden 2947...

6) Oh, and after the ruffled feathers and the post calmed down there might have been some helpful info discussed... So next time maybe don't ruffle feathers, just ask questions.....

 

[moparedtn]

I really did not know that actually.
That explains why there is still so much working room with a big block in.
But thats not the case for a 350sbc vs 454bbc or is it? Because that ls6 chevelle's engine bay still has so much room left.

Nope, SB and BB Chevy are two different everything.
My last Chevy was a '68 Chevelle SS 396, black on black 4 speed. Pretty car....
and got waxed pretty regular by a stock 383 Roaf Runner back in those days.

I learned.