Shimming Engine for Header Clearance

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mopowers

mopowers

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I've got to move the 340 over to the passenger side in my 68 Dart so my Doug's headers clear the DS torsion bar. Is it safe to assume a 3/8" shim under the drivers side biscuit mount will move the engine over 3/8" to the pass. side? I'd hate to start banging away on brand new coated headers.
 
If your mount is at a 45 degree angle(just a rough guess) a 3/8 shim under the drivers side mount will move the engine 3/16 to the right and 3/16 up.
 
I would think that if you leave the passenger's mount in it's original position and put a shim "under" the Driver's mount all you're going to do is raise the driver's side of the engine. It would take a tremendous force to move the engine over (sideways) 1/8" of an inch without relocating the passenger's mount??? Seems to me like you'd be trying to push the engine over to the passenger's side but the passenger's mount will not let the engine move very much at all. However, it will raise the engine on the driver's side.

treblig
 
How do I move the engine over 3/8" to the PS? I figured if I loosened both mounts and shimmed the DS, I could slide it over making sure it was level. Will that not work?
 
mopowers said:
How do I move the engine over 3/8" to the PS? I figured if I loosened both mounts and shimmed the DS, I could slide it over making sure it was level. Will that not work?
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If you loosen the mount bolts you should get a little movement out of it but the amount it moves will depend on how much slop there is the the holes in the frame and mount. 3/8 of an inch is a lot to ask of something that was designed to hold the engine in place within 1/8" or 1/16" or so. Now if you wallowed out the holes in the frame then you could get it to move a lot. I understand what you're trying to do but you have to realize that the mounts and the frame holes were designed for it not to move very much so as not to cause problems. But maybe someone else might know more about how much you can squeeze out of it!!

treblig
 
No that will not work. Even if you succeed, wouldn't that make the drive line end up out of alignment and start vibrations that could cause other problems.
 
cuda65vpt said:
No that will not work. Even if you succeed, wouldn't that make the drive line end up out of alignment and start vibrations that could cause other problems.
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Yes it will mis-align the drive shaft a little. If the front of the engine moves toward the passenger's side then the tail of the trans should pivot over to the driver's side. One solution usually creates two problems!! But if you scoot the trans mount over the same amount (in the same direction) then you should be OK.

treblig
 
I had to insert a 1/4 shim under the drivers side biscuit mount on my big block to get the engine height and centering right. The saddles on the k frame are on a 45 degree angle, so as you shim one side to move it over, you slide the mount up the other saddle. Just make sure the engine is level side to side when you are done. By the way, I have never experienced any vibration issues, and I race mine.
 
How old are the mounts/insulators? They flatten out over time. Maybe replacing with some new mounts/insulators will help.
 
Leadfoot said:
How old are the mounts/insulators? They flatten out over time. Maybe replacing with some new mounts/insulators will help.
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They are schumaker rubber isolators. I've got slant six-340 conversion mounts. They use a stock size 2266 V8 mount for the driver's side, and a stock size 2265 slant 6 mount for the passenger side. I'm going to measure them tonight to make sure they haven't squished any.

If new mounts or shimming won't get it done, I'll just lose the mounts and move the motor around until everything fits and make up some solid mounts to hold it in that spot.
 
I had the same issue with spool mounts. some 3x3 square tubing and a drill took care of it. I lifted my engine 1" higher than factory.
 
I was helping a friend install Hooker Supercomps in a 69 Torino. Multiple interference problems. You didn't say if yours is collector or primary tube interference but one of the things I did out of desperation was after they were bolted to the heads, I put a floor jack handle through the collector into a primary tube. Then we both grabbed the handle and pulled on it bending it away from the contact point. This may help you a little but it sounds like you need to tweak something in the mounts.
 
I used a truck mount on the drivers side on mine. I loosened all the mount bolts to position the engine where it cleared, tightened it up and it worked!
 
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