Torque Strap ideas?

[dennis112]

I am thinking of adding a torque strap to my new stroker. What methods are used with and early Mustang? How would you attach it to the engine/body? Is this necessary with "bolt-strenthened" rubber supports?

Pictures of what you did would be appreciated.

 

[Edbert]

If you mean you have bolted the two metal plates on your stock engine mounts together, then no torque strap should be needed for any engine that wont warp your unibody

 

[HHStang]

I have solid mounts on my 67/460 and a tension rod off rear of block and an "L" bracket I fabbed and welded to top of frame rail under my steering linkage. Does that make sense?

 

[notny41]

I used braided steel cable and bolted it to one of the extra threaded holes on the top of the block and the other end goes into a L bracket I fabbed and bolted to the swaybar mounting bolts.

That's on a 65 with a 289. Don't know if your setup would have similar placement of bolts/holes.

 

[iskwezm]

i have a "L" bracket on the sway bar bolt and used 2 threaded eyelets on the ends into a turnbuckle and bolted the top to the head.I also have a bolt through the motor mounts.

 

[10secgoal]

I ran a tensioner ( two eye bolts connected by metal, one is reverse thread)from the lower right head to the lower part of the shock tower. Works great, cheap as hell, and no vibrations from it like solid motor mounts.

 

[dennis112]

If you mean you have bolted the two metal plates on your stock engine mounts together, then no torque strap should be needed for any engine that wont warp your unibody

In a way I did that by sandwiching the rubber: http://www.erareplicas.com/fiaman/engine/mountmod.htm

Is this enough of a support to keep my engine in place?

 

[Edbert]

Is this enough of a support to keep my engine in place?

If you have enough torque to break those your shock towers are in big trouble...LOL

In other words...YES.

 

[1320stang]

I'd say stay away from the turnbuckle idea. I had an aluminum body turnbuckle with the eyelets on the ends on my race 289. I think the motor made somewhere in the 400-450HP range. After every pass I had to put another couple of turns in the turnbuckle as the eyelets kept stretching open. What I would do if I were you would be to take a couple pieces of angle iron that are as long as the frame is wide. These pieces would be back to back running across the frame. Between them would be a flat strap of metal that runs up to a head accessory bolt hole. You could weld the angles to the frame or drill a hole thru the top and bottom of the frame and use a bolt that runs all the way thru. I'd put the heads of the bolts on the bottom of the frame, that way you can see if the nuts are working loose. It's not all flashy or anything, but it's effective and cheap.

 

[HistoricMustang]

I am thinking of adding a torque strap to my new stroker. What methods are used with and early Mustang? How would you attach it to the engine/body? Is this necessary with "bolt-strenthened" rubber supports?

Pictures of what you did would be appreciated.

Mine is a simple chain off the cylinder head to the bolts used for sway bar. Works very well and is cheap!

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com/tech.html

 

[iskwezm]

I'd say stay away from the turnbuckle idea. I had an aluminum body turnbuckle with the eyelets on the ends on my race 289. I think the motor made somewhere in the 400-450HP range. After every pass I had to put another couple of turns in the turnbuckle as the eyelets kept stretching open. What I would do if I were you would be to take a couple pieces of angle iron that are as long as the frame is wide. These pieces would be back to back running across the frame. Between them would be a flat strap of metal that runs up to a head accessory bolt hole. You could weld the angles to the frame or drill a hole thru the top and bottom of the frame and use a bolt that runs all the way thru. I'd put the heads of the bolts on the bottom of the frame, that way you can see if the nuts are working loose. It's not all flashy or anything, but it's effective and cheap.

I've never head a problem with mine

Maybe you had too much movement from your mounts and thats why it would loosen?

 

[grego37]

I have flat seat belt ends (the ends that bolt to the car) with double ply seat belt material.
Upper end bolts directly to a threaded hole on the end of the head.
Lower end is also flat also but bolts to a 90* bracket that picks up the sway bar hloes.
left a tad of slack in the assy.

You can find these anaywhere where they sell 4x4 parts "limit straps", used for off road to limit suspension travel.
You can have any length made, you just need to know your total length (eye to eye)

 

[Opentracker]

We use the turnbuckle type and have had no problems. It stopped all the clutch chatter we were getting too. It goes from the drivers side head down to the sway bar bolts.

John

 

[1320stang]

I've never head a problem with mine

Maybe you had too much movement from your mounts and thats why it would loosen?

No, it didn't loosen, it stretched. As in no longer an eyelet, now a hook!!

 

[iskwezm]

No, it didn't loosen, it stretched. As in no longer an eyelet, now a hook!!

If it stretched,wouldnt that mean it was too tight and getting pulled or the mounts were really bad???I just looked at mine and its round still.

 

[notny41]

might mean he has a PILE of horsepower...

 

[1320stang]

The mounts were brand new rubber mounts. The turnbuckle was tightened by hand as tight as it would go without any leverage assistance.

The fact that we were running 11.08 at 119 in a 3000# car with 9x30 slicks, 5.67 gear, Jerico 4-speed and that we launched at 6,200-6,600 depending on track conditions and shifted and crossed at 8,000 might have something to do with it. The pucker factor is also high with a '65 289 block and crank with only a windage tray and no girdle, this is all naturally aspirated as well.

'69 351w heads and a old school Offy 360 T-ram with a pair of stock 660's on it.

 

[Opentracker]

The motor is out of the car right now so I took a photo. The ends are welded, it has a lock nut on the right hand thread side, to hold it still and the chain links mount under the sway bar mount, to the sway bar bolts. I had to use a longer bolt for that hole. The top mounts to the head of the Cleveland in my wifes '65 coup. The top is the upper left. I make it hand tight, then give it 1/2 turn more as a pre-load. No problems yet.

John

 

[burnout289]

where's FLORD??

nothing else can beat the FLORD brace! this thing could stop the rotation of the earth if welded on right!!

i got tired of tearing motor mounts, so FLORD made me one of his special braces:

and it's made in the USA.

 

[10secgoal]

Whoa, I din't use aluminum though.....