• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Motor mounts from stock shackles

srimes

srimes

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Cabot, AR
99 xj, 205k or so. Removed mechanical fan and put in a 2nd electric, but the motor moved enough to push into the fan. My wheeling budget is small and I'm just learning to weld/fab, so I thought I'd save $85 and fab my own. Just put on lift shackles and the stock shackles looked like a perfect starting point.

Standard crappy cell phone picture disclaimer applies.

Stock shackles and old, cracked mounts:
IMG_20120417_074453.jpg



Cut the shackles at the web. They were just a little short, so I used a little strip of the 1/4" stock as a spacer. Another strip to reinforce it, and a little smoke and fire later, they're done.

IMG_20120418_173726.jpg



IMG_20120418_173708.jpg



Little more narrow than stock, so I stacked washers to take up the slack.

IMG_20120418_194824.jpg


IMG_20120418_194931.jpg



What do y'all think? And how do I know if I need a new tranny mount? I looked at it when I put in a sye and removed the tcase drop a month or two ago, and it looked fine.
 
whitexj98 said:
Idk, looks a little sketch here...


And did you not run a bead on the insides of the mounts?

Of course time will tell, if they dont break then great job!
Click to expand...

The circled part is the stock shackle. I ran a bead on both sides where it sits on the spacer.

On the other upright I only ran a bead on 1 side as there wasn't room from the inside. I think it's burned in good enough, but I'm no expert.
 
Wow, that's some ghetto fab. Why not spend the $15 and get new motor mounts all the way around? I like my Jeep enough that when I have a problem I spend the few extra dollars to do the job right.
 
In my opinion it's pretty ghetto. You can do it cheap and still have it come out better looking and have something to be proud of. I understand you had those shackle bushings already, but why not grab some DOM sleeved poly bushings? You can grab two brand new bushings from Ruffstuff for probably $30.

Then use the bottom plate from your stock motor mounts (or drill holes in some 1/4" plate) and then use flat bar on either sides.

You've basically mimicked the Brown Dog design, but for cheap. Of course, up to you whether it's worth your time or not.
 
Considering the failure mode of aftermarket motor mounts, I think you've engineered in a new weak link.

MORE_Motor_Mount.jpg


You're weakest point is exactly where they break. Would not run them..
 
zachandandy said:
Motor mounts are $5 on rock auto, why buy $30 in Dom sleeves and Poly bushings?
Click to expand...

Because stock motor mounts allow the motor to move too much. It can cause your 231/242 to pop out of low range when you're really flexed out, can allow the mechanical fan to hit your radiator, cause headers to crack... or just fail all together and let your motor move until it runs into something. :)
 
cal said:
Considering the failure mode of aftermarket motor mounts, I think you've engineered in a new weak link.

MORE_Motor_Mount.jpg


You're weakest point is exactly where they break. Would not run them..
Click to expand...


Good info, thank you. I didn't know that style of mount failed much. Is that from pure tensile? Or did a sideways force put a bending moment at the welds in the weak direction? I.e, a cross brace would have made it strong enough.

I basically copied brown dog (using the stock shackle) and figured that'd be good enough. Just to be clear, I've marked the shackle in this pic:

motormount.jpg



Surely a leaf shackle sees more stress than a motor mount? So if the issue is tensile then the questionable point would be my welds on the bottom. I hit it from both sides and it looked well burned in to me, but I'm no expert.


If the issue is a sideways force then the geometry is weak and I should put in an extra brace or two between the uprights.
 
They usually break about a quarter inch from the welds, the welds themselves never break.


To be fair, I've seen the currie and more mounts break, but i've never seen a brown dog break.. i'd just cough up the $85..
 
cal said:
They usually break about a quarter inch from the welds, the welds themselves never break.


To be fair, I've seen the currie and more mounts break, but i've never seen a brown dog break.. i'd just cough up the $85..
Click to expand...

Under what conditions? I'm at 3" on 31s. Not a caged out jeepspeed. And I'm just starting to try and fab stuff, so I need the experience.
 
I've seen them break under all kinds of conditions? Guys with a stock engine and 33's that just like expedition wheeling still break them.

On my broken MORE mounts, I ran a 1" 3/16 strap all the way around them to reinforce the mount and put them in the spares box (replaced with brown dog mounts), but i've never run them again.
 
cal said:
Brand new stock mounts can be a problem. Aftermarket mounts are designed to be more rigid, not just to be stronger.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know, Iv got the brown dog super poly mounts! Just saying that stock replacements would probably be safer then those custom fabbed ones. Pretty sure Anchor is a US company too.
 
austinaubinoe said:
Yeah I know, Iv got the brown dog super poly mounts! Just saying that stock replacements would probably be safer then those custom fabbed ones. Pretty sure Anchor is a US company too.
Click to expand...

I don't trust Anchor mounts. Brand new for a neon (daily beater) they crack if torqued to factory spec.

Even on that rockauto link they say "grade 5" studs, but factory is 8 (10.9).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Rubber components
Replies
6
Views
110
75SV1
7
T
1 Ton steering clearance issues
Replies
9
Views
855
XJChang
X
R
thinking about getting an XJ again
Replies
9
Views
287
XJI6191
X
H
JK parking brake cable on XJ JK rear axle
Replies
5
Views
2K
XJEEPER
XJEEPER
B
engine swap question
2
Replies
20
Views
4K
RCP Phx
R
Back
Top