Diagram 1 - Motor Mounts
Diagram 2 - Motor Mounts
Diagram 3 - Mount Locations

Necessary Inspections

If you purchased your engine and transaxle from a wrecking yard, you should inspect a few items.

1. Check all freeze plugs. Look for obvious leaks. Leaks can sometimes be detected by a corrosive looking, powdery substance around the freeze plugs. If you have this, replace them.
2. Look for obvious oil leaking.
Check around valve covers, timing chain cover, the intake manifold, front and rear main seals, etc. If the motor and transaxle look dry, you probably don’t have any oil leaks.
3. Try to get all of the motor mounts with your engine and inspect them to make sure they are all in good working order (not broken). If you get all of the rubber GM mounts, you still need an extra motor mount (GM part # 14000448).

After you have finished your inspections and fixed any problems you may have had, it’s time to clean and paint the motor.

1. To clean the motor, use a detergent soap and warm water, this works real well. Make sure that you seal off any open passages to the inside of the motor, for example the exhaust ports, valve cover breather holes, carburetor, etc. so the water won’t get inside the motor.
2. After the motor is dry, it’s time to paint it. We recommend using a high temperature paint used specifically for painting motors. This paint can be found in most auto parts stores or hardware stores.
3. After the paint is dry, install the sending unit for the water temperature guage in the intake manifold near the thermostat housing.
4. Install the oil pressure sending unit in the hole near the oil filter. Replace the stock sender and replace it with the new sender. The new sender is a VDO unit calibrated to the VDO oil gauge. The stock sender will not work accurately.
5. Replace the old oil filter with a new filter.

Installation of the Motor Mounts

The motor mounts supplied with the kit will bolt directly to the motor. Then the GM rubber motor mounts will bolt to these mounts and the rubber mounts will bolt to the chassis mounts. In effect, the GM rubber mounts will be sandwiched between the motor mounts and the frame mounts.

Keep in mind that the motor sets in the chassis transversely, so when we refer to a particular motor mount or transmission mount, the mount location will be stated as if the motor was in the chassis.

The transmission end if the motor is on the driver’s side of the chassis (or left side). The front of the engine points to the passenger side of the chassis (or right side).

1. Install the motor mount that looks like a cross with a plate at the bottom to the motor. This mount attaches between the oil filter and the fuel pump at the three holes provided on the engine block. Next, attach the GM rubber mount to the bottom plate on the motor mount. This completes the right front motor mount.

2. The left front transaxle mount remains in its stock configuration.

3. The left rear transaxle mount looks like the letter "A". This mount will attach to the ring gear housing on the transaxle. Attach the end of the motor mount that splits to the mounting bosses, one leg of the mount on the right side and one leg on the left side of the ring gear housing . the motor mount when attached will be pointed upward with the other end of the mount (the flat plate for the rubber mount) pointing down.

Install the GM rubber mount to the motor mount. Make sure that the pin locator in the rubber mount lines up with the hole in the motor mount. This completes the left rear transaxle mount.

4. The right rear mount is the largest mount. The mount has three different angle surfaces. One surface is flat and horizontal. The front surface is veritcal and at a right angle to the horizontal surface. There is another surface that is welded at a 45 degree angle to the top horizontal surface. The holes in the angle surface mount to the motor at the bosses provided on the motor block for the stock motor mounts. The vertical plate wraps around the front of the motor and bolts to the motor at the holes provided. Bolt the rubber GM mount to the top horizontal plate on the motor mount. This completes the right rear motor mount.

5. There is a fifth torsional motor mount that will be installed after the motor is bolted in the frame.

Install the motor into the chassis. You may need to use a pry bar to align the GM rubber studs to the frame mounts. After the motor is installed, tighten all of the mounting nuts (use lock washers where possible). The nuts on the transaxle mounts are 8mm. The nuts on the motor mounts are 10mm.

6. Install the rear torsional mount. The motor mount attaches to the left side rear head on the motor (2 holes on the rear of the head, 1 bolt on the side over the spark plug). The mount will point toward the rear of the car. Next, install the GM rubber mount - this looks like a dog bone. Use 10mm bolts through the rubber mount holes. Next attach the frame mount to the other end of the GM rubber mount. (The frame mount is a square tube with frame mounting flanges at one end.)

Sight the mount and align it so it comes as straight off the motor to the chassis as possible Mark the frame mount holes on the chassis and drill for 5/16" bolts. Mount the frame mount to the chassis using long enough bolts to go completely through the chassis to use lock washers and nuts on the opposite side of the frame cross-member.

This completes motor installation.