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What the heck?!


PWB

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Originally they were all that way. The switch pitch was initially used with the brake pedal so that the torque of the engine wouldnt cause the car to creep at a stop light.  Remember, rich little old ladies drove these Buicks and they didn't like holding the car at stop lights by having to press hard on the brake pedal.

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I think chained engines used to be common on performance cars to stop engine mounts from breaking. The chain would limit the amount of rotational force. It was a redneck repair/bragging point. The best solution was solid engine mounts. 

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I had a beautiful 1964 Skylark Wildcat 310 coupe many moons ago that lurched out unexpectedly into oncoming traffic one day. The solution was that chain link holding down the engine some solid engine mounts were available shortly thereafter. Those mounts were the first thing I replaced when I acquired my '63 Riv in 2015, just to be on the safe side. Peace of mind for me and others, as they say.

 

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7 hours ago, jsgun said:

I think chained engines used to be common on performance cars to stop engine mounts from breaking. The chain would limit the amount of rotational force. It was a redneck repair/bragging point. The best solution was solid engine mounts. 

Generally, I would agree regarding engine mounts. My 63 was making a terrible noises when I would make an aggressive acceleration. Tom Telesco put a length

of chain  around the Driver side bottom of the engine. On my aggressive acceleration the engine noises have stopped.

Turbinator

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Here is a standard GM cable safety hold down that was used prior to the motor mount redesign:

image.png.3b0adf3cb34bd53fe38510f0421acb24.png

The torque of hard acceleration or some kid like me power braking a car with a delaminated motor mount will let the driver side of the engine raise a few inches. Cars with solid carburetor linkage can pull against the linkage and cause wide open throttle. That won't be released until the torque backs off; a couple hundred feet or shutting off the ignition. Cable linkage did away with it in later years. The redesigned motor mount has plates that sandwich the rubber section.

 

The best fix is a new motor mount. A rubber mount that is no longer attached to the steel base can still move forward under hard braking. I have see a few cars with fan prints in the radiator fins from the whole engine and transmission launching forward, then coming back to rest in its proper position.

 

I check my '60 by lifting up on the exhaust manifold with a pry bar. Sometimes I just power brake it with my hand next to the key to shut it off quick. It is neat to do that because the car will rise vertically about 4", especially at a stoplight with a little new car next to you, but test it alone first. Not so cool for them to see the terror in your eyes when it goes full throttle.

Bernie

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We bought an 83 Regal for our son to drive tohigh school. During our test drive I noticed a clunk when shifting into gear. Took it back and told the seller it needed motor mounts.  He denied it.  Put the car in drive, held the brake and put some power too it. One side of the engine lifted about three inches. Put the car in the reverse, repeated the process, and the other side lifted the same amount.  Knocked the price down quite a bit.

 

From the looks of that brake pedal, it appears that someone is a left footed brake rider.

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There was a 63 Riv for sale locally with fender skirts. Not a good look.

 

When I was a teenager, I knew a guy who somehow got ahold of a 64 lesabre convertible (I think about that year). It was a fairly nice car, just some rust and the top fell apart. He would drive through the woods and hit trees with it, until it was junked. Pulled the motor and trans out, and chained them down in a late 60's chevy truck. Drove that pile around for a while until the cops finally took it from him. That motor would move all over the place. I wanted to beat him for what he did to that buick. 

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