mscott

Hi everyone, I'm new here. Just came across a '60 Super 88 and bought it on a whim because, well, you do that sometimes! Turns out the engine had been swapped at some point, and done in a pretty hokey way. Ever seen motor mounts made of a rubber block and two pieces of EMT electrical conduit before?! Haha.
So anyway, I need to:

(a) Identify this motor. (From photos I can find here and elsewhere online, it looks to me like a 394 from '63 or so? The stamping on the left side of the engine near the valve cover is H204574. There is also a casting number, 578510 on the right side exhaust manifold. I am attaching photos.)

and:
(b) I need to come up with a motor mount solution. Does anyone have any photos or diagrams of what the correct mount for this motor looks like? I think this would help me figure out how to mount this motor in the car. Would it be a good idea to start with the right mount for the engine and make some kind of block or brace to adapt it to the frame? Or adapt a '60 mount to fit the engine? Any ideas or direction anyone can offer would be really appreciated. Never had to do anything like this before but I'm game to make it work!

Oldsmaniac

I think you are correct in engine size and vintage. Stock mounts should work and I think Fusick sells them. There is a front center mount and 2 rear mounts that also support the trans. I see no reason why stock mounts wont work. I have seen a mount that was "fixed" with liquid nail....needless to say it was not fixed.

mscott

I'm not sure, but the front seems different. In my '60 manual, there's a picture of a U-shaped bracket that bolts (4 bolts) to the engine and then to the mount. I don't see this bracket on this engine, or the corresponding holes for it, which makes me think I have to customize something..?

59-59-59

Thats a '63 block you have there - the letter H is the giveaway. As far as the front mount, the '63 - '64 uses a different style mount from earlier 394's /371's in front, but still bolts into any Olds '49 - '64 (some exceptions to '64) That is due to the the aluminum front cover used in '63 - '64 as opposed to the cast iron '49 - '62. One other 'problem' you may have not noticed is the Slim Jim transmission bolted up to the block. It is an underpowered, weird shifting transmission that people dont like or hate. Try to find someone here that likes that type of transmission

Oldsmaniac

I could not tell if the trans was a slimjim or the jetaway that I believe was still used in 1960? Hope this picture helps.

mscott

59-59-59: So it sounds like I just have to get my hands on a '63 mount for the front? As far as the transmission, I haven't gotten a positive i.d. on it yet. If it turns out to work o.k. as-is, I might go with it for a while. If it needs any major work, I will seriously consider my upgrade options. I haven't gotten far enough to figure that out yet though.

mscott

Thanks Oldsmaniac! That picture does help - is that from '60? If so, I wonder if you or anyone else here has the equivalent from '63? It would be great to have it for comparison.

Oldsmaniac

The manual says the front mount/support plate is typical for a rocket engine excluding f-85 The manual shows part number for the front support plate as being the same from 1956 to 1960 while 1961-2 have a different part number but I would assume it is similar.

mscott

Thanks, those pictures help. My engine looks just like the one labeled '63. I've ordered a parts manual for '63 to see an exploded diagram of the mounting. Hopefully that'll be the end of the mystery on this..