The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop 55-59 V8 motor mount cross member

Anyone found a good source for a pre fabbed small block cross member for mounting a newer block in a 55-59 chevy?

I think the only thing premade is the standard one like available from American Classic - not hard to make yer own or have it rigged up at a local machine shop - I've seen some home-made that just mounted off each frame rail that worked, without the cross piece under the pan

Bill

Thanks for the info. I need to get one for a guy who wants to put a 350 in his 59 2 ton truck. The best part is I get the running 261.

Try Tuckers, Brothers, No Limit Eng.

I bought mine from Chevy Duty it worked great. Not very expensive. You can't build one for the cost of theres.

I ordered one from American classic-$45.00

I Might do the same thing to a two ton 59, but it was available with a small block...so what did they use from the factory..??? I think you can get the plate that comes from a later model two ton and bolts to the front of the engine and not use the side mount motor mounts cant yah..???? I think the later models like 72 two tons with small blocks has the front mount....

I chose to use the factory V8 motor mounts on my 55 4400 that are riveted to the frame on original V8 models. I just switched the front piece that holds the mounts onto the six cylinder truck and use the engine motor mounts that bolt onto the front of the engine.

ok tri5 so the front mount off the 6 will bolt onto the small block..??? and use the front motor mount..????, isnt the small block alot shorter than the 6..???or is it made up for using the small block bellhousing..???

fatweed - not the 6cyl mount - the original style V8 mounts use holes in the front of the block [on 283's and most 327's and some 350's] attached to the crossmember brackets and pegs shown at Carters here [Front Motor Mount Assembly]

Bill

thanks red... thats what i thought. but i was also talking about the v8 motor mount that bolts to the front of the small block thats used in bigger trucks... shouldnt that work on the front crossmember like it does on the newer ones..??? my 59 261 has those two up front motor mounts like thats...but 90 bucks looks kinda spendy... i think ill build em... if a newer front mount bracket wont work the same...??? and use the single biscuit rather than those two on the side of the front...??

the small "L" sorta brackets that bolt to the side of the 6 are slightly different that the ones that bolt to the front of the V8, and may be can be modified to fit but have to be at the perfect angle

the 90 buck mounts are the brackets that bolt to the block, + the rubber donuts and pins they go on [also different than the 6cyl ones - longer] + the necessary brackets that bolt to the front crossmember, which is the main thing you need, as the frames for 6's didn't get those brackets

the mounting setup for V8's in any TF truck was unique to the TF series, no part of it is used in later trucks, nothing is the same as used on the 6, and those big cupped washers that fit the donuts are not available anyplace else I've ever found - my time and frustration trying to come close to a factory setup any other way would be worth way more than 90 bucks!

Bill

Tri5,
My '59 came to me already with the 350 in place with homemade side mounts that sprout from a plate welded across the upper and lower rail flanges, thankfully(?) it also has front mounts. The front ones look to me to be the usual stem and donuts type set up but they mount directly to holes in the original crossmember, no brackets on the bottom end. This puts the crank pulley uncomfortably close to the crossmember, but it doesn't rub...I know that this truck was not orig. a V-8 truck but the way the front mounts go into the crossmember looks like it was a stock set-up?? I'm hoping that new donuts will raise up the front end enough so I can change the v-belts someday!!Let me know if you want pics.
Jeff

Jeff - having both front and side mounts isn't to be thankful for - it's an indication of very poor backyard engineering - the front mounts should bolt to an extension of the crossmember , and if yours bolts to the cross member directly, the motor is too far forward - that was no doubt done because they didn't trust the poor side mount setup, which was prolly done in the wrong place to clear the e-brake hardware in that area, or to suit an incorrect trans/driveshaft combination

there must also be incorrect mounts to the rear, like prolly no mounting at the bellhousing, maybe a mount under the trans, making for 5-point mount - nothing I'd wanna live with!

Bill

Bill,
Thanks for the input. I think you're right about not trusting the side mounts - I would've made 'em different and probably will some day. Thanks for the pic by the way, the hole in the crossmember near the extensions is what the front mounts are in on mine. I think the reason they did it this way is because of the sm465/np 205 trans and transfer case combo for the 4wd. The trans crossmember is, I'm sure, from the donor truck. So, this maybe a dumb question, but if some is good why is more not better? I'm thinking that in the future I may put in a conversion mount like that from Brothers or Chevy Duty and loose the front mounts entirely. I will say that having no crossmember under the oil pan is kinda handy tho....
Today I'm hoping to get the truck back from the gear shop, with new ring and pinion in the front axle!!
Thanks again for the input
Jeff