The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Engine mount modifying?

A friend of mine is talking about cutting and heating up a couple of engine brackets for his 1957 chevy truck with a 327' chevy engine. Now he asked me by heating the brackets would that take the strength out of them. He doesn't know what these 2 brackets originally went to.

Only if they were heated red hot would the strength be affected.

Well I guess he is heating to bend. Most times that will take red hot. But we don't really know what he is doing with what thickness. It's an iffy question.

The brackets are a good 1/4" thick. So I would say yes he has had to really heat these here brackets to make them work? I told him just to go down and by the correct brackets for his project and he basically refuses. I will admit he is very good at metal forming, he is retired from the iron workers union for 37 years. But aren't engine brackets heat treated?

No, heat treating would make them brittle, all they need to do is hold the engine up, the rubber portion will control the torque and vibration. You couldn't heat them enough to make them so soft they won't hold an engine.

Low carbon steel (which is what the engine mount brackets are likely made of) can be heated red hot multiple times without really affecting strength, except that a little of the surface might flake off each time they're heated/cooled. Low carbon steel really can't be heat treated either, it takes a higher carbon content to harden steel, and high carbon steel can be tempered afterward to remove brittleness.

Didn't Forrest Gump's Mama have something to say about people like that? (and it didn't have anything to do with a box of chocolates!) When I encounter someone with the attitude that "My mind is made up- - - -don't confuse me with facts", I usually let them learn the hard way.
Jerry