Engine plates???

[chuntington101]

just wondering if someone could tell me the advantages of running engine plates (the ally plates you see on drag cars that bolt to the front of the engine)???

is it just easier to fit stuff in the engine bay with them or are they stronger than space frame mounts????

thanks Chris.

[Trooper2]

You need to talk to Slinky:

www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/profile.asp?h=0&memberId=25805

[stevieturbo]

Think about why they use them....

Most blocks have little bosses, with perhaps 2 or 3 bolts with which engine mounts attach.

Not particulalry strong, given the loads/leverage palced on them in powerful cars.

An engine plate is a very strong secure mounting, thay resists twisting loads on launch etc.

Ive heard stories of cracked liners on LS1 engines, from people running solid mounts, attached to the factory engine mounting locations. The loads applied to the block in the fixing areas, basically just flex and twist it, causing liner problems.

[chuntington101]

wow thanks for the info steve! never knew that the mountings could cause the engine to crack!

Chris.

[stevieturbo]

With rubber mounts, and moderate power, unlikely they ever would....

But think what it takes to make a car wheelie, and accelerate to say 150 in 8-9 secs or so, and you can imagine there are some pretty heavy loads going through those mounts !

[chuntington101]

yeah you can!

also i guess the BIG torque means they are more prone to that sort of thing than saya 800bhp drag Evo!

what sort of thinkness do you need to run to make them strong enough????

also could you use them if space was tight???

can you ruber mount them to the chassis???

thanks Chris.

[Boosted LS1]

Thing with the lsx engine mounts is they bolt through the casing and into the webs which support the main bearing shells, ie the strongest part of the block casing. I don't think loads are imposed on the casing sides as such. So, thay should be strong, then again maybe some break but I've no experience of that. I wonder if using studs would be better?

Boosted.

[stevieturbo]

I have heard of several cases over on LS1Tech.

I imagine the cast iron block wouldnt suffer as much.

studs, bolts, wouldnt make any odds, its the block thst flexing. Combine huge power which might flex the block, with forcing it to solidly launch a car off the line, and thats a lot of stresses.

Most of the pics of plates Ive seen, dont look that thick, perhaps 1/4" or so ?

I would think the engine would need some for/aft support though to prevent it moving forwards or backwards with such mounts.
Cant see why you couldnt rubber mount them, but if going to that trouble in the first place, why would you rubber mount them ?

[chuntington101]

so great points steve!

just thought about the extra space you could again if you did run them!

thanks again Chris.