We started by setting the...
We started by setting the engine up to get a good feel for how everything would be positioned. Aaron measured the front end (from firewall to radiator) and placed the engine as low as possible for hood clearance.
So by now you've noticed that we've taken this "little project" of ours a lot further than we first anticipated! However, we have not lost sight of our goal to show you the complete buildup of this bad little 'Yota to keep you inspired with your own long-term projects. For this month's installment we'll go over the building of the custom motor and transmission mounts. The same rules apply to building these mounts as building pretty much anything from scratch. The tape measure is your best friend.
As long as you follow the golden mini-trucker rule to measure 1,000 times and cut once, then building your own motor and/or tranny mounts isn't anything to fear. The main thing to keep in mind will be the placement of the motor. You'll have many things that you'll need to take into account, including hood clearance, firewall clearance, and radiator placement. You can't mock your engine in place until all of those factors are added to the equation. Since we're building our own engine mounts on a fully custom frame, the easiest way to center the engine in the frame is to measure from the inside of the frame rails to the center of the crankshaft. The engine should sit at around a five- or six-degree angle, tilted rearward.
Once the motor is set up, then the process can begin. We started by mounting the transmission because all that was required was a flat piece of 3/16-inch steel. Aaron measured the stock tranny mount and built the new one to the exact same specs. Once the tranny was mounted Aaron quickly busted out the engine mounts. On this particular frame the best thing to do for the motor mounts was use the existing control arm mounts and build off them for the engine mounts. Follow along as we show you just how easy it was to get Dragged Daily mounted and that much closer to completion. Stay tuned as we continue you to bring you the full coverage of this buildup. For more information, contact the company listed in the source box.
 We started with the transmission...  We started with the transmission mount first. Aaron measured the stock mount first on the stock truck and wrote down all the measurements to know exactly how the engine sat in the 'Yota before we cut it all up. |  Next Aaron measured the placement...  Next Aaron measured the placement for the tranny mount and welded in the crossbeam. |  With the crossbeam in place...  With the crossbeam in place he got back to work on the actual mount using a piece of 3/16-inch steel plate. |
 Using the measurements from...  Using the measurements from the stock mount all the holes were measured and marked. |  Next all the holes were drilled...  Next all the holes were drilled and cut. |  Here's a look at the new tranny...  Here's a look at the new tranny mount--simple and clean. |
 Next, the mount is welded...  Next, the mount is welded to the crossbar and the frame. |  That wraps up the transmission...  That wraps up the transmission mounting, and now we can mount the engine. |  Moving to the front of the...  Moving to the front of the engine, (cont'd on next page)... |