drive shaft/tranny mount questions

[1930artdeco]

OK, I am getting ready to install the drive shaft in some form or another. Now I am working on a wagon but the drive line came from a fairlane which is apparently a bit longer in wheelbase. Therefore I am assuming the driveline is longer as well. A guy on the HAMB who has a 300 series car says that his drive line is 54.5" give or take and mine is 56 9/16". Now I measured from the end of tail shaft seal to the face plate of the original 9" and came out with 59".

The second part of my problem is this. I had the tranny rebuilt and he installed a new tranny mount-great. Except that it does not fit-as in the holes do not line up for the rubber mount to cross member. See pic two and three. I checked and there seems to be only one rubber mount for the auto trans, is it possible that the tail shaft is different from year to year or from Fairlane to Custom?


Now I have several questions:
1) I was told by the shop to put the drive line in as far it will go and then measure center joint to center joint as I am assuming I have to have it cut down about 2".

2) When I installed the drive shaft in all of the way I can get it to fit, so do I need to cut it down? See pic #1 of the fit. And I had the diff on stands to simulate it being under load with the car sitting on it.

3) Is it advisable to elongate the smaller holes to line up with the cross member?

Thanks,

Mike 








 

[hiball3985]

Drive shaft looks OK. I'm having a hard time seeing the picture of the mount, is it too far to the rear? Is it possible you have the engine mounts backward and it's moving everything back?

[1930artdeco]

The engine mounts open to the rear but the tranny mount is too far forward. So the tang that bolts down is too short. So something is incorrect either the mount, tail shaft housing or the cross member (This I doubt as it is the same dirt all of the way around).

[Jeff Norwell]

I see what you're speaking of Mike on the trans mount.
The mount holes are not lining up with the holes in the crossmember?... and you are asking if the trans mount holes can be elongated?

I don't remember your engine /trans combination?
Both my 57's are FE and use 4 speed Toploaders...the drive shafts on both cars are 59-60 inches in length.
My set up is most likely different than yours.. but I can't see Ford making different trans mounts.... I could be wrong here, and I think you're using stock parts.

sorry if I am not being helpful.

[Ford Blue blood]

Don't remember for sure but the "open" facing engine mount should be forward for the Y and rearward for the FE?

The drive shaft should be pulled back about 1/2" after you bottom it out on the transmission output shaft.

[59meteor]

Pretty sure the motor mounts on all 57-59 Fords, regardless of whether it is a 6 cylinder, Y Block or FE, has the open section of the motor mount facing the rear. As for the transmission mount, who knows how closely the offshore mounts are to original, I know on my Anchor brand motor mounts on my 59, with a 428 FE, required using a washer as a spacer , between the engine crossmember and the mount, as the lower studs bottomed out in the frame bracket slots before the mount itself sat on the crossmember. Concerning the misalignment of the trans mount, how far out are they? If it is a minor amount, I would just elongate the hole in the mount a bit to make it fit.

[RICH MUISE]

That driveshaft needs some back-and-forth play in it to compensate for movement by the third member. Can't remember what the minimum movement needed is, but I'm thinking around 3/4"

[1930artdeco]

I have found out that apparently the tail shaft housing on Ford's are different between Fairlane's and Customs (wagon) but a few inches. That would explain why the tranny mount does not line up. So, if the Fairlane is shorter by the 2" then I will have to find a mount to fit. I hate blending different parts.

Mike

[RICH MUISE]

Nothing to add, except I'm surprised you're finding that much difference. My very limited experience was just the opposite. I used a 38-year newer engine and tranny that changed from a 6 cyl manual to modular v8 with 4r70w tranny, using a crown vic tranny mount, and the studs ended up within a 1/16" of the OEM tranny mount holes after I got the engine positioned where I wanted it totally disregarding where the tranny mount was ending up.

[hiball3985]

I have found out that apparently the tail shaft housing on Ford's are different between Fairlane's and Customs (wagon) but a few inches. That would explain why the tranny mount does not line up. So, if the Fairlane is shorter by the 2" then I will have to find a mount to fit. I hate blending different parts.

Mike

Thats interesting but confusing to me . I can't picture why they would be different. The dimension from the engine mount to the cross member mount is the same on all models as far as I know.

[1930artdeco]

Hiball, that is what I am thinking. So I going to change tactics and reverse the motor mounts (so that the opening is facing forwards) and see if that slides things back the right amount. So, I will hold off on the drive shaft until I do this to make sure my measurements don't change. Then if they do I will remeasure and then take in the drive shaft. This is getting annoying....

[Jeff Norwell]

Drive shaft looks OK. I'm having a hard time seeing the picture of the mount, is it too far to the rear? Is it possible you have the engine mounts backward and it's moving everything back?

I think that's the issue.

[hiball3985]

Just another thought, have you tried loosening the two bolts that hold the mount to the trans and then slide the mount in the needed direction?

I think 6cylinder motor mounts have a slightly different offset then the V8, is it possible you got the wrong mounts?

[1930artdeco]

As soon as I finish bolting up the spark plug harness (which I should have done with the engine out of the car-bonehead) I will raise the engine and rotate the front engine mounts. Everything, people have said and pics that I have seen shows them open to the rear. Apparently I got the one car where they open to the front-time will tell. Then the drive shaft gets worked over, carb and all linkage goes in, liquids go in and then fun things happen!!!!!!

[Fairlane62]

It might be an optical illusion, but in the picture of the four mounts lined up, the shiny one second from the top appears to have the holes about 1/4" further out from centerline compared to the dirty ones.