Purchased lsx swap stands and clamshells from spohn and i cannot get the engine to line up into the adapter stands. The passenger side bolts up but not the drivers side. Are my stands in the wrong spot? Thanks


Passenger side



Drivers side does not line up

 

Pass side stand looks upside down

 

It does kind of. But i dont think it lined up any other way on the frame.

 

Was told i would have to drill holes into Kmember for this setup. Is this true? What are the specs? Im stuck at this stage because of these mounts right now almost thinking about going UMI route. Any suggestions?

 

I suggest getting any other mounts besides Spohn.
I used their mounts and got the engine in fine but the passenger side is about 3/8" lower that the driver side. I can't get the engine level and by searching here seems to be a common problem. I called them to complain & they tried to blame it on the solid engine side mounts. I've since purchased UMI mounts but haven't installed them yet.

 

im not sure if there is something different with spohn mounts or not because I don't have them. but I thought most mounts were supposed to mount in the forward most holes on the k member.

 

Nope! Spohn mounts use the backmost hole pattern. The advantage being clearance is tight but with a 4th-gen f-body oilpan you can possibly get by without having to modify the crossmember. And yes when digging thru threads I found that the common reported problems with Spohn mounts is non-alignment when fitting up and the passenger side sits lower than the driver. Also from what I read the non-alignment can be worked around by leaving all bolts and nuts on the clamshells and mounts backed off, drift punch alignment, slide in long mount to clamshell bolts, manhandle with crowbars and etc, cuss, thread in long bolts, then tighten all others.

M

 

I had zero problems with them on two different cars, and both cars have been in accidents. The key is to put in everything with the bolts loose and then tighten it all up after you have everything lined up, then the next time you do it, it all goes together properly. I have seen this issue with people on other car platforms too, and they all get frustrated but never try loosening up the mounts then putting it all together. On 3 different crossmembers the holes are bigger than the bolts, so there is some room to play with the positioning too.

Also, I don't see why being 3/8" lower on one side would be a problem. The engine isn't mounted in the middle of the engine compartment in the first place, it is heavily offset to the passenger side from the factory, so a small amount of engine tilt isn't going to cause a problem

 

Has anybody had to drill into the kmember for these mounts and what are the specs? if it comes down to it I will purchase new mounts but I already have these and just wanna get the damn engine in lol

 

I know the car will probably run fine with a slightly tilted engine but I'm spending a lot of money building my car so I'd like it to be perfect. With everything else I'm doing, a tilted engine will stick out like a sore thumb. I know it sounds **** but I only plan to build this car once.

 

So good news. I called my buddy over and we man handled it into place. Had to use pry bars and pry the bushing in the clamshell into place.