This article explains how to weld your motor mounts so that they are solid. This modification requires the ability to weld and do some metal fabrication. This article is not intended for novices.
Advantages: Solid motor mounts protect your engine from the twisting action of your engine during launches and shifting. It will help eliminate wheel hop which damages the transmission and differential, wheel hop also gives you less traction. Your shifts will also be firmer due to no engine torsion.
Disadvantage: The only disadvantage is that your car vibrates
slightly more.
Tools Needed: A welder either MIG, TIG, or stick, something to cut with Angle grinder, Ban saw, or a Plasma cutter, also metric sockets and a good ratchet.
Time Needed: 8 hours.
Procedure:
1. The front mount should be the removed first. Jack up the front of the car to allow enough room for you to get under. Then place a jack under the transmission to support the weight of the engine. Now you must remove the motor mount bolt that holds the mounts together.The center member that the mount is connected to must be removed, it is held to the chassis by two bolts on the front and three in the rear. Then the mount itself can be removed it is attached by two bolts.
This picture shows the oem front motor mount.
2. Now that the mount is removed you can make a cardboard template that is the same size as the circle area of the mount. Then the design is traced to a sheet of steel either 1/16 to 3/32 of an inch thick. When you cut the circle make sure you leave about a 1/4 inch of extra material around it. You need to make a piece for both sides.
This shows the template and steel.
3. A hole for the bolt shaft must be drilled out, this is difficult if you do not have giant drill bits or a step bit.
4. Now you can grind the paint that surrounds the circle, on the side and top, off of the mount. The sheet metal should also be cleaned. The rubber inside does not need to be removed but is flammable so be careful. Once the metal is prepped you can weld the disk to the mount, I suggest you weld completely around the mount and around the shaft.
This is the steel plate not welded on.
Completely welded plate, (my welds do not look pretty but are very strong.)
5. The bolt that goes through the shaft is half the size of the hole so I welded a washer to both sides of the shaft to give the bolt a snug fit, if you do this the shafted needs to be narrowed to allow room for the mount to attach to the engine.
6. After the welds are complete paint the mount and reinstall, the shaft hole may be hard to align but the engine can be adjusted to fit.
Front MM attached.
7. I also welded the driver side engine mount. To remove this you need to support the engine on the oil pan. Then the four bolts that secure the mount to the engine can be removed. The mount is held to the chassis by three bolts that need a wrench to be taken out.
8. With the mount off the car the welding procedure is the same with out the adding of the washer to make the shaft smaller. Then paint and reinstall.
Side MM attached.
Conclusion: My engine has no movement during shifts or hard launches. The engagement of my six puck clutch is much smoother. On launches my wheels spin but never hop and catch traction
much sooner which should show up in 60 foot times. I only feel a slight vibration in my car that is completely stripped, so a full interior should absorb the vibration. My idle is also at 1000 rpms so this changes the vibration felt at idle. The rubber material that is left inside will help absorb vibration.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to PM me any time.
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How to make solid welded motor mounts.
