Engine mount question for V8 swap ---Vortec engine, AA adapter, H55F

[djawahir]

I've got the 5.3L Vortec hooked up to the Advance Adapter hooked up to an H55F. They will soon be ready to get put into the truck for the measurement of the engine mounts...one question...

How the heck do I measure the engine mounts????

Here's what I'm thinking -
step 1 - Attach engine to AA to H55F and stock transfercase.
step 2 - Install the tranny crossmember to the frame of the truck.
step 3 - Use engine hoist to put engine combo into the engine compartment and bolt the transmission to the tranny cross member.
step 4 - Lower engine side until the engine is 1-2" lower than the hood when the hood is closed.
step 5 - Mark the engine mounts on the frame for welding.

I thought that by using the advance adapter with the 5 speed, 95% of the people have their engine mounts in the same exact place on the frame. Is this correct? Or am I missing something? I've never done this before and I'm trying to plan it out before the frame comes back from the shop.

 

[orangefj45]

you're on the right path, sort-of anyways.

there's not one fixed location that will work with 95% of the V8s out there. and that's due to the fact that the engines use different manifold and induction systems so they end up with diferent heigths.
so when mounting yours, make sure that the air box is on top of the manifold or you're going to be cutting a hole in the hood.......

also, bolting the trans x-member to the trans in in the chassis does not necessarily give you the proper engine mounting location. what you really need to pay close attention to is the engine location i n relation to the radiator. too close and tyhe fan will eat the ra, too far away and the fan won't work properly. usually, you want the fan 2-3" from the radiator.

you should definetly have the entire powertrain ( engine, trans and t-case ) mocked up in the chassis before welding anything in place. that will hopefully eliminate any interferrence issues. make sure there's room for the t-case shifters as well.

last but not least, tach the mounts in place and double check everything before removing the powertrain one last time. with the powertrain out of the vehicle it'll be a lot easier to lay down some solid welds on the mounts.

hth

georg @ valley hybrids

 

[Elbert]

on my 5.7 we used the marks adapter with toyota 5 speed. Bolted everything together, set whole engine assembly over into truck, started the bolts on the trans mount to give us a rough front to rear position. then meausred left to right at the frame rail at the engine to try and center the engine. As I recall the engine is off center by just a little bit. You also need to pay attention to the height of the engine as well. We used some string or tape across the hood area to give us a reference point to engine height. Making adjustments to the engine hoist. Ended up have to fill in (weld) a couple of holes in the AA engine mount and drill new hole, to get the engine mounted where we wanted it. You don't have a lot of room between the rails, at least on a 5.7 you don't, once the mounts are installed. Really need two people on this.

 

[djawahir]

Did you have to move the tranny crossmember? I thought with the marks adapter (advance adapter), there are no drivetrain mods. I've got the toyota 5 speed as well. I just thought this vortec, aa, h55f setup could not be adjusted front to back, only side to side and up and down, but it's not sounding like that anymore.

 

[lehiguy]

With the Marks, your transmission will still be in the same place. The 2F you took out was significantly off center towards the driver's side as you will find out when you try to center the Chevy. There are reasons for that, Toyota didn't want the front diff crashing into the engine for one. When I did this same swap (5.7 not 5.3 but with the Marks and H55F) I ended up rotating the assembly a little, I had the trans on the mount and I moved the motor towards the passenger side of the engine bay. My rear diveline had some side angle component to it after that but I had a CV joint on it already so it was still pretty smooth. When it was done, I wished I had move the transmission a bit towards the passenger side to straighten the angle, but it worked fine for years. One note of caution, don't be tempted to use the stock motor mounts. I had a new Toyota mount on the driver's side but the Chevy made short work of it, ripping it in two. I made some mounts of my own using suspension bushings and fabricated brackets which is what I should have done in the first place.

 

[oldwineo]

The best way to line the engine up side to side is to center the crankshaft nut with the hole in the front of the frame for a hand crank.
The trans will line up if you are using the stock trans/trans mount.

Make sure your diff won't hit the oil pan or balancer and you have space for your fan and radiator.

I put mine in using the stock trans location and had to run electric fans due to clearance issues.