Built Some Solid Motor Mounts for my Gen 1 Viper by AndyMac

3 minute read

Built Some Solid Motor Mounts for my Gen 1 Viper

Compliments of AndyMac @ www.viperalley.com

For a 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10

Well, I started hanging the turbo on the pass side and decided the tolerances were so close that I should mount the motor solid.

I've heard rumblings of solid mounts causing the block to distort, but haven't seen any documented issues. So if you're anal, use polyurethane mounts instead.

I used a piece of 2" high x 4" wide x 6" long box steel that is 1/8" thick. Cut in half, it gave me two 2x4x3 blocks. The stock mounts are 1-5/8" high, so I took my plasma and cut 3/8 out of each side to give me the right height. If I didn't have the metal already, I would have tried for the right size box steal to start.

I also lucked out and found 4 high grade bolts with the the right thread pitch/size to fit the motor mount nuts. I installed the bolts from the inside out to act as studs similar to factory. I welded the heads of the bolts on the inside to hold them from turning. I found the studs to be offset about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. There are also positioning nubs beside the studs. I just drilled a hole and rounded the head of a bolt off and dropped in the hole. A tack of weld on the inside keeps it from going anywhere.

 

 

To remove the mounts, get a 3/4" socket and undo the bottom mount nuts on either side. Jack up the motor with a piece of 2/4 running the length of the oil pan and a jack. You don't need to go too far, maybe 1" between the frame and mounts. Next, I used a 3/4" ratchet wrench to remove the nut from the top of the motor mount. The mounts still won't come out, so remove the two bolts/nuts(9/16") that hold the aluminum u-shaped mount holder above the motor mount. With a little friggin around, they come right out and the new ones go right in.