jonus079 Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 finally! winter break is here and i wasted no time and got right back on my 240z. well i just couldnt bring myself to buy ready made motor mounts for the s30 chassis so i decided to go custom. problem was i really didnt like the universal weld in motor mounts ive seen. my main problem was with the bushings. they just didnt seem thick enough. i really want this car to be as comfortable as possible so i decided to go with the gto ls2 mounts. i bought a set off ebay for $65 which i thought was a good deal. first thing i noticed when i mounted them on the engine is they are off center. no problem... i just redrilled the holes so they are the same distance from the center of the engine. then i made a crossmember and used ~ 3/8 plates for the mounts. everything it TIG welded. i think it worked very well. the engine is about 1/16 of an inch to the passenger side but i can live with that. i still have to weld the bottom which ill do once i put the chassis back on the rotissery to do some the rear end fabrication. the next step is to make the down pipe. its also gunna be very tight but im confident it will fit. btw look how nicley the oil pan wings clear the t/c mounts. its like it was ment for it! THE BIG MISTAKE: as you can see from the pictures i cut a big chunk out of the driverside engine stand. turns out i didnt need to. the steering shaft fits fine without the chunk removed. i about threw a wrench through the window in my garage when i figured that one out. no problem however, theres a guy near my house who happens to be selling the stands for $25! still a stupid mistake. if youd like to see bigger pictures visit the link in my sig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Nice work. should get the job done. You can get away with that gull wing pan and large isolators cause you are bringing the exhaust out the front. Did you weld the stock crossmember to the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Looks nice. Why didn't you want the engine to sit off to the passenger's side like the stocker and other kits do? Are you going to run into problems with the transmission and driveline alignment? Keep us updated on your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonus079 Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 Nice work. should get the job done. You can get away with that gull wing pan and large isolators cause you are bringing the exhaust out the front. Did you weld the stock crossmember to the car? yeap, i welded the stock crossmemeber in place. there are also 1/8 plates welded to the bottom of the front frame rails for the entire length. im actually planning on running the exhaust out the back. i have a good amount of the downpipe done and it looks like everything will fit. the down pipe has a 3.5 inch diameter so its a tight fit. once i finish it ill post some pictures. Looks nice. Why didn't you want the engine to sit off to the passenger's side like the stocker and other kits do? Are you going to run into problems with the transmission and driveline alignment? Keep us updated on your progress. it would be even harder to run the down pipe out the back if i kept the stock towers, plus i dont like how they look. when i first mocked up the engine over the summer (without any mounts) i used a t56 core that a friend let me borrow to make sure i wouldnt have any issues. the engine is in just about the same place, but about 1/4 higher and about 1/2 further back. i think i should be fine (well i hope). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 The mounts look good. One thing you may want to do is add some gussets under the flat plate that is mounted to the tubing... Just for good insurance since you are going to have PLENTY of torque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I agree with olderthanme, some gussets on the plates you actually bolt the engine isolators to would be a good idea. Just to keep them from flexing and eventually breaking loose at the weld joint. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1noel Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I third the gussets. I wish I'd have known you were looking for GTO mounts, I'd have given you mine. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonus079 Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 yea i agree. thats something i likely going to add. not that i think it will right out snap (tig welding is STRONG) but as wheelman said it could flex and after a while fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I'm not worried about your welds...TIG welds are quite strong. Much stronger in fact than your steel tubing. It is the HAZ (heat affected zone) that I'm worried about. when you put the weight of an engine on such a small area of base metal you will likely deform it. The metal in the HAZ is also good bit weaker than most of the area around it that never rose to critical temperature that changes the characteristics the base metal. Guussets will let you use the compression strength of the round tubing and not just the strength at the weld joint. Looks rockin! OTM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonus079 Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 agreed. btw this down pipe is getting crazy. talk about alot of turns..... ill post some pictures when its finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonus079 Posted December 23, 2007 Author Share Posted December 23, 2007 heres the downpipe so far. there is still alot of welding to do as you can see but im out of argon and roberts oxgyen isnt open on sunday. remember its a 3 1/2 inch downpipe so its very tight but it all fits. sorry for the dark pictures, my shop light is burnt out and i dont have any bulbs for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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