[Schurkey]

Having problems getting the engine to sit in the frame.

We removed a '69 400 from this '77 Firebird. The '69 engine had unusual engine-to-cushion brackets. There were two heavy bars, (1/2 inch plate, about 3/4" wide) one on each side bolted to the engine, with the brackets that would go around the rubber mounts bolted to those plates. I understand this to be an aftermarket "adapter" to allow the older blocks which don't have 5 motor mount bolt holes to install in the '70-up Firebird chassis.

The engine going back in is a '73 455 block; five bolt holes on each side for motor mounts. I'm installing engine-to-cushion brackets of unknown origin; but probably from a '73 full-size car. They attach directly to the block, with no heavy bar between them and the engine.

• The transmission is tight to the back of the engine; engine-to-transmission dowels are seated in the trans case.
• The passenger side engine-to-cushion bracket is "nearly" aligned with the frame cushion. We could almost install the through-bolt.
• The driver's side engine-to-cushion bracket is two inches away from the frame cushion. There is no way on earth we're going to be able to align the driver's side without totally screwing up the passenger side.
  [*}The entire engine is twisted, the front is too far to the passenger side, and the rear is too far to the driver's side. In other words, the engine is at an angle to the centerline of the car.

We don't have another Firebird to look at; if we did we could probably see what is wrong with our mounts.


DO THE FULL SIZE PONTIACS USE DIFFERENT ENGINE-TO-CUSHION BRACKETS THAN FIREBIRDS?

WOULD USING THE AFTERMARKET "ADAPTER" MOUNTS REQUIRE RE-POSITIONING THE FRAME CUSHIONS? It really seems like the driver's side frame cushion is too far to the rear, and too far towards the center of the car. If we moved it forward and outward, the engine would straighten out and probably drop right in--but I don't know if there are bolt holes in the frame crossmember to bolt the frame cushion through. I'm thinking that the frame cushions were installed out-of-position when the '69 engine and the adapter mounts went in.

DOES ANYONE HAVE PHOTOS OF THE ENGINE MOUNTS OF A '70's FIREBIRD THAT THEY CAN POST? We have a '77 Chassis Service Manual, but it only shows an illustration of "Typical" engine mounts; and there isn't enough detail.