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General Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: N8whitie on August 25, 2011, 01:14:46 AM
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First off, I havent been on here in a while due to work but I finally got hired onto a land based company permanently ( Refinery Operator for Shell Oil)so I'll be around to ask questions and hopefully help some people out as well.
So, the other day I went to put on my new Brown Dog motor mounts and when I removed the stock passenger mount I ran into a little issue with the pylon ( see pics), so I called Tim at Brown Dog ( who is completely awesome and will do anything he can to help) and after talking back and forth for a bit decided a new pylon is the best option... but not the easiest because that looks like a tough and cramped place to weld the new pylon back on. Anyways, my question is, Has this happened to anyone here before? or is it really rare? is there a better quality aftermarket pylon I could get to prevent it in the future?
** incase you cant make it out, the pylon is cracked and the bolt hole is reamed out and cracked to the pilot hole.
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/n8whitie/mount2.jpg)
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/n8whitie/mount1.jpg)
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Looks like the nut fell off or the bolt broke off and the whole thing bounced up and down. Having the spacer break isn't anything new. Although when mine broke it left the big bolt and nut intact. There are no replacements for the frame mount. You could fix it by welding a plate on the underside of the mount though. But it can't be too thick or the bolt on the spacer won't have enough thread for the nut. To prevent it you want to make sure the nut on the spacer doesn't fall off or get lose enough for the engine to rock and break the bolt.
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Maybe weld a thick plate on top, drill some holes, and no longer use a spacer.
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Maybe weld a thick plate on top, drill some holes, and no longer use a spacer.
You would still need to bolt the mount to the plate somehow though. One side needs a stud while other other side needs to accept a nut and bolt. You could use some square tubing though.
Other option would be to smooth out the hole and weld in a plug then drill it.
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Here is a product idea: Brown Dog should offer a kit to eliminate the cradle/spacer. It doesn't make much sense to have a heavy duty motor mount attached to the stock cradle/spacer.
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I talked to Tim at BD and he gave me the part number for that pylon and Jeep had a few left from old stock but you're right Jeffy, they did stop making them. I guess I'll just cut the old one off and weld the new one on. What a pain in the ass. I was going to use the plug idea because welding a plate in underneath would have been near impossible due to space/ angle of attack issues..... and I figure i would have to go no larger than 20g mild sheet steel but the drilling the holes perfectly would prove more difficult than the plug. I guess the center of the main bolt hole is exactly 1" diagonal from the pilot hole.
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You could remove the stud from the Brown Dog motor mount (or have them send you one with a hole instead of a stud) and put in a longer bolt from the bottom. Then just weld a thick plate on top of the pylon and drill the needed holes. This would completely fix the pylon crack and eliminate the prone-to-breaking cradle/spacer.
JKS makes a motor mount lift that uses a stud extender, you could use something similar if you want to avoid removing the existing stud from the mount.
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You could remove the stud from the Brown Dog motor mount (or have them send you one with a hole instead of a stud) and put in a longer bolt from the bottom. Then just weld a thick plate on top of the pylon and drill the needed holes. This would completely fix the pylon crack and eliminate the prone-to-breaking cradle/spacer.
JKS makes a motor mount lift that uses a stud extender, you could use something similar if you want to avoid removing the existing stud from the mount.
You still need the spacer for the JKS. (That's what I run on my Jeep.) Never had any issues with the replacement spacer I bought. Had to modify it to use the JKS spacers though.
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You still need the spacer for the JKS. (That's what I run on my Jeep.) Never had any issues with the replacement spacer I bought. Had to modify it to use the JKS spacers though.
My point is that the JKS type attachment hardware could be used to install a motor mount without the cradle/spacer (the JKS spacer would not be installed and the motor would not be lifted). A plate about as thick as the cradle/spacer rise would be needed and a couple of holes would need to be drilled.
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What if I just welded the MM cradle right onto the pylon? I would have to fasten the BD mount to the original cradle, place it in exact position and run a few beads on either side. Seems like that would be more than plenty strong enough. Thoughts??
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My point is that the JKS type attachment hardware could be used to install a motor mount without the cradle/spacer (the JKS spacer would not be installed and the motor would not be lifted). A plate about as thick as the cradle/spacer rise would be needed and a couple of holes would need to be drilled.
Might as well just change it out for a TJ mount or get a 4.0L mount. Then relocate is appropriately. Probably just have to cut off the top and swap them.
What if I just welded the MM cradle right onto the pylon? I would have to fasten the BD mount to the original cradle, place it in exact position and run a few beads on either side. Seems like that would be more than plenty strong enough. Thoughts??
You need the spacer because the mount is about 1" lower on the passenger side. You could use square tubing and weld it to the frame though. Would be a PITA put on the mount though. You would want to make sure you have the stud on the outside like OE. Probably have to use a 2" wide tube so there's enough movement to tighten the nut.
This was my JKS budget boost setup - http://4bangerjp.com/forums/index.php/topic,1328.0.html
Here's an older Currie/JKS Mount - http://4bangerjp.com/forums/index.php/topic,20.0.html
I had another set of TD mounts as well but I don't remember if I wrote a review since I was T&E'ing them.
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all this talk of that passenger side spacer reminds me that when i replaced my passenger side mm there was no spacer to be found and everything was simply bolted to the Pylon... did that spacer start in 91 or was that an all yj thing?
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all this talk of that passenger side spacer reminds me that when i replaced my passenger side mm there was no spacer to be found and everything was simply bolted to the Pylon... did that spacer start in 91 or was that an all yj thing?
I believe it to be YJ and only the 2.5L. Post a picture. I'm not sure how far it goes back but many times people say they don't have one, only to realize it broke and the engine is now sitting on the frame.
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i would just enlarge that hole and weld a 1/4'' plate from the top, i doubt 1/4'' will make that much of a difference to get it misaligned but if it does you can always do the same on the other side (or go more conservatively with 3/16). if you get a bead on it all around or almost should be stronger than stock anyway.
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Simplest is to make a piece plate that will the motor mount and will fit the top pf the pylon cut the top of it off weld plate in install motor mount and move on with life. All you need is some 3/16" plate drill 2 holes, then fit it in the pylon so it mates with the motor mount, tack, remove motor mount and weld
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The new pylon just came in the mail and the Brown Dog motor brackets are en route. The new pylons base/backing plate looks a bit beefier than the stock pylon so as soon as I get a few days off I'll throw them on and make sure a post some pics. Thanks for the ideas and opinions gentlemen.