focus guys; say it with me "motor mounts, motor mounts"
(Its possible your thread has been stolen.)
Hey I have a 305 out back too. It made horsepower back when it ran...
Are the bolt in crossmember type mounts adequate for a 454 and Turbo 400 in a trailer pulling appication?
Okay, back on the subject I guess.
The crossbeam mount I used from Speedway motors comes longer than you need and you have to cut to fit. That's the tricky part, because I first had to hang the motor in there, attach it to the transmission temporarily, and then I taped off a range as close as I could to where the V8's side mounts begin and end (about 6 inches). Then I pulled the motor out and decided where in that 6 inch range I wanted the crossmember to reside. I chose near the front because of the firewall. Then with my wife standing next to me with the tape measure, I took a piece of wire extended from frame rail to frame rail, then held it up for my wife to measure, and I cut the crossmember a little long, and then ground it until it fit snugly with taps from a rubber mallet.
So yes, I believe this tubular crossbeam motor mount would be robust enough to use for towing duties. It's thick wall tubing.
With a Turbo 400, you have to decide where exactly you want that transmission to reside, based on where the shifter will be in the cab. But others who have used non-original transmissions have been able to move them forward enough for the V8 to clear the firewall. If you use an original tranny, the V8 ends up too close to the firewall, which will then have to be modified for valve cover and distributor clearance. Which sucks.
Then you'll have to locate the tranny mount by some similar method.
A tip, the Speedway motor mount comes with an option of bolting it in or welding it. I definitely recommend bolting it in, because I needed it to move a little when I was trying to get the engine with clutch attached to slide back straight into the transmission's input shaft, and if I welded it in, I would have been screwed. You see, the transmission tunnel isn't tall enough to allow more than about an inch of vertical movement.
You're application with the TH400 will be a little different, but you may find it advantageous not to have that crossmember welded permanently in place also.
