Thread: 80e mounts/mounting/swap brackets

well thanks yet again to the overkill of the 442.....

my tube chassis/adjustable axle centerline mounts are alot closer to finished, (5 bracket assemblies in all, 4 corner mounting and the engine to diff), in fact the only one not done is the engine mount bracket though the last mockup piece was perfect so im ready to hew that bugger out of 1" plate.
interestingly enough...the fiero guys are gonna love it.
i got the same bracket to function in 4 different ways:

its the engine mount to the chassis., full pan access, i want full serviceability on all my junk
for our rear engine its the mount for the front exhaust passthrough for the rear engine bay, the exhaust is easily removed at the track and routes below the damper/pan/diff where the OEM subframe would be. lol
relay panel mount. since the powerplants are meant to be self contained units, all module controls/outputs will be integral. that way only a minimum of connections are required to the 442's primary power system.

and last but certainly not least.....

ready?


wait ....ferrrr......it.........

its also an integral low mount alternator/compressor mount/tensioner.

yes, you read that right, our rear engine is only running an alternator (cs 144/horizontal bolt alternators only) we needed a way to tension the belt, sure its really damn short, and may only be available in 5 rib....but its now a mechanical tensioner, but no prybar required, just a 3/8ths square drive to turn the adjustment to tension the belt and tighten the two bolts to either side, and then bolt down the rear brace.

wanna know the sweetest part?
it works with and mounts the back end of the oem w body compressor and clear the AC lines.

since 3rd is gone in my new compG beater ive mulled it over a little....i might....maybe......probably just tapshift from 2nd to 4th for evermore....maybe possibly swap an 80e into it....then i can double check some of this stuff....but for the most part the custom guys have a solution

meh, we'll see

maybe one of you bottom feeders will get a chance at some scratched up prototype ****

i thought i had better pics but this is what ive got...all my mockup stuff has been scrap plexiglass so i dont waste my 1" plates

you should be able to see where this is going....


that nub to the left is getting drilled and tapped for the adjuster plate to the alternator ear

damn racecars

dont mind the extra holes n stuff, some is for the rear engine bay exhaust hanger (for front engine exhaust pipe passing below rear powerplants pan/diff) as well as the brackets that go to the compressor/alternator

i dont have the adjuster arms pictured yet

OOOOOOhhhh pick me! Can I have a set that bolt to a cradle? I want 3800/4t80 in my caged car sooooo bad!

For the love of god I wish a bolt in mount kit was available!

Nice work James!

Sub'd for more pictures too!

ive been working on it. ive gotta get my new compG beater going so that when the trans in my 04 gtp clone dies i can work on an 80e install for the alum subframes, just be aware those two mounts there arent even done being machined and im into em 250$ and at least 8 hours of trial and error fitment and mockup for em alone...

i find it hard to believe that someone would blow 1k+ on a 80e bracket kit....unless they were stupid like us

I do however have quite a few test pieces from 3/8ths aluminum plate that someone could make work with some modifications.
Most are fine its just my designs have evolved to streamline the powerplants and make each part serve multiple functions.

i need to look more at the furches ls4/4t80 swap and his mounts plus your setup and the pics that dave from tep has on this site too.

doesnt need to be overkill but when its over 1k just for a gmr 1" chain plus the rest of the gmr parts that are only getting harder to find 4t80 sounds better every day. pending a mount kit is available or ill make one myself. whatever gets the job done with out building a 6k + 4t65fail.......

I finished our two engine mounts n alternator tensioner brackets.
Also finished the final front trans mounts.
I have some pics but im gonna finish my tacos n go home to upload em.

enjoy
backside machined to perpendicular to mounting arm, bolt relief on one block boss hole


sitting upright and with tensioner bastards nearby, you can see the end holes for the alternator tensioner


and a quick idea of what its doing to the alternator

Beautiful James fabrication porn!

FAPP FAPP FAPPPY

I shall sleep good dreaming of turbo 3800/4t80 in a 2600ish pound car.

How heavy are them? They look thick enough to survive far longer than the car will. I'd go crazy with the holes and take some weight off where its not needed.

they are quite heavy, but they are also dealing with twice the arm leverage than the other 3 mounts since the block skirt is farther inboard of the powerplant outer dimensions.

i did go crazy....with threaded holes. the reality is that im just making several educated guesses on a few things and its always easier to remove metal than it is to add it. keep in mind that the bracket does several yobs and by relocating the alternator down low, we have a lighter shorter belt, and no alternator bracket, which by feel is about as heavy as my mounts.
besides this weight is down low in the chassis so its far less important than up top weight.

trust me, weight is a concern high on my list, but even higher is durability of something i cant find at a parts store lol

finished up a few things, enjoy

changed the trans bracket a little for easier cooler fitting wrenching and the line pressure sampling port, also added threaded holes for mounting the pcm bracket


this bugger is made to fit and support the backside of both an ac compressor, and a horizontal bolt cs 144 (though the smaller 130's should work fine too)


tensioner side, belt is a 360k6, for an 87+ ford mustank 2.3L rofl

need to see how this is mounted to the cradle or chassis or whatever you have planned for that james.

this will be bolted to chassis tabs off the tubes (actually above them), the rear as well though its brackets are setup to allow for easy axle height adjustments for the ride height. 4 3/8ths bolts

the alum/steel subframe would need to be notched to go above it to bolt to an angle (bolted to the subframe) or to a welded on tab

finished sorting the alternator/AC/engine mount out. going to change the layout of the tensioner disc grooves, one arc needs to be a shallower arc angle.



cant wait to go do some work in NC next week