Engine mount construction

[Bruce Vidito]

I'm in the early stages of restoring a 1970 Chris Craft Lancer and I'm repowering. The original powerplant was Volvo and I'm converting to Merc. By doing so, the engine brackets move toward the transom, making it necessary to rebuild the engine mounts. I'm looking for information on how to construct them, what materials to use, and also any design characteristics that are critical to create a strong, stable mount. The boat has "top-hat" stringers and the existing mounts are glassed into the bottom of the hull and to the sides of the stringers.

[jimslade]

Use a min. 1 1/2 inch wide wood for the mounts to sit on. There are many types of wood to use. Plywood, solid 2x6 or core materials. I prefer well dried out pressure treated ply laminated with a good ortho polyester resin.

[tja]

I would double the width to three inches. One and a half doesn't leave much for the mount to sit on. The wider width will leave you more leeway. Good luck, Tom.

[Bruce Vidito]

Hey Jim. I was wondering if you had done this before with a small block V8 and whether or not after running for a while the weight of the engine and the vibration led to compression of the mount leading to misalignment problems.