Why is nobody installing the nelson engine mount?

[fullracegt]

So basically it sounds like no real R&D was done then.

not as extensive as it should have been for a part of this nature which has to be extremely precise. that being said i would have no problem using this in any fwd 3s application. going back to drive line angle.. 3000GT/Stealth International Message Center nelson admits that his plate raises the the front power-train slightly and angles it to help oil get to the sump which may be true but overlooks driveline angle which is very important to the lifespan of cardan joints,bushings and mainly the reduction of driveline vibrations.

-matt

[anyonebutme]

nelson admits that his plate raises the the front power-train slightly and angles it to help oil get to the sump

-matt

This doesn't make sense at all to me. if you raise the front of the engine the rear head has a harder time draining. raise the rear, front drains poorly. raise the transmission then a 6-speed doesn't fit under the frame rail, raise the engine and the oil moves away from the pickup....

Pretty sure NO R&D went into it. Surprised [insert shop here, right Rakuny?] didn't sell them, LMAO.

[Jeff V.]

The front and rear mounts are roll stopper mounts. They were only ever meant to arrest the motion of the engine....not support it. Deleting one load bearing side mount and suspending the entire weight of the engine assembly from the rear block flange and roll stopper subframe mounts seems like a piss poor idea no matter how you align it.

[AdamVR4]

My biggest issue with them has always been that it's aluminum and all of the stress is on a couple welds. I guess the engine won't fall far when they invariably crack and fail (maybe it takes a decade of hard abuse? Maybe it takes a year? Nelson's "testing" was not even remotely close to long term). If it were thinner and stainless steel, I would like it more. If I were doing some crazy turbo set-up, it would be hard to resist, though.

[sergechronos]

I think if you're pulling the motor frequently, it's kind of a moot point as you are liable to see any stresses/cracks before they get too bad. Certainly wouldn't be a set it and forget it type of install though, you're right on that. Eventually the aluminum will fatigue and fail. Although, stainless would be pretty expensive. Let's just go with titanium

[i3igpete]

My biggest issue with them has always been that it's aluminum and all of the stress is on a couple welds.

Yeah i think we were all waiting for someones engine to fall out of the car onto the ground

[Greg E]

It was an interesting concept that could have used a few tweaks. Maybe one day when I have more time...

[mehrshadvr4]

Engine plates are nothing new. Actually Nelson's plates are a bit thicker than the ones it's used on most high power drag cars. If you don't feel safe with the design you can modify it so you can use bolt to secure it but I don't see this to be necessary. IMO Nelson't plates are designed better than the one used here.

[Jeff V.]

You may as well be comparing apples and cinder blocks. That plate is nothing like Nelson's.

1> Your example plate is on the FRONT of the engine. The rear of the engine is still supported by the transmission, as it was designed to be.
Nelson's plate supports the transmission, and lets the engine hang suspended in thin air.

2> Your example plate is mounted to the frame rails.
Nelson's plate attaches to the front and rear cross members, which were never designed to bear almost the entire weight of the powertrain.

3> Your example plate does not relocate driveline parts which have critical geometry requirements.

4> Due to the previously mentioned point of suspending the engine by its rear flange, the transmission mount no longer has weight being loaded in a downward direction. The tail end of the transmission is now being forced up into the mount. I can't imagine that changing the stresses on the transmission housing is a good thing. We already have enough problems with these transmissions.

In short, if Nelson's mount took driveline geometry into account, and more importantly retained the drivers side frame rail mount, most of these problems would go away.

[anyonebutme]

what's stopping you from continuing to use the driver side mount again? change in engine position?