Replacing engine mounts

Question:

The engine in my 60-year-old car seems to have sagged enough for the oil pan to rest on the steering linkage. Wear marks indicate it has been that way for a while. The rubber part of the mounts is cracked and bulges. Are these hard to change? Is there anything I need to be concerned about?

Answer:

You have discovered one of the axioms of automobile restoration. When something looks worn out and wear marks confirm it, it is worn out.

Replacing engine mounts is not expensive and not a difficult chore. Just do it.

Place a large automotive jack with a two-feet-square piece of one-inch thick plywood with pieces of two by six timber blocks screwed to it, under the lip of the engine pan and take the jack up until snug, but don’t go any higher at this point.

Now remove the bolts holding the motor mounts to the frame.

Next, jack the car up slowly and carefully to pop the mounts loose and decompress them.

Unbolt the mounts from the sides of the engine and pull them out. Push the new mounts into place and bolt them to the engine.

Ease the engine back down, using a large Phillips screwdriver to align the holes for the frame bolts. Tighten everything into place and you are finished.

You did not specify the make of your car, so I can’t recommend a source for motor mounts, but there are a number of sources that can supply new ones and can supply the vulcanized and bonded types of motor mounts if you need them. Check the Internet for a source.