Mounted the new motor and transmission to the Astro subframe

Today I got the 6.5L diesel engine and 4l80e transmission mounted to the subframe. It was not difficult to mount, it was just a very slow job.

First thing was mounting the new motor to the old 4l60e transmission so I could use the factory trans mounting location to hold the engine in the right place. I removed the motor mounts from the frame and marked a line using the stock bolt holes as a reference so I could get the new motor in square.

I bolted the mounts to the engine and lowered it down onto the frame. I then had to move it side to side and get it level. I could use my lines I marked to make sure it was aligned properly. Once it was in the right place I put a spot weld on the mounts to keep them in the right position then unbolted them from the motor and lifted the motor and trans back off the frame.

I then just had to drill and bolt the mounts and brackets onto the frame. One bolt on the drivers side hung off the side of the cross member so the easiest thing was just weld a piece of metal on there to give it enough room to mount. It might have been possible to bend it over and mount it that way but I didn’t try it.

With the mounts in place I put the 4l80e transmission onto the motor and lowered them into place. I had to move the transmission mount back to fit the different mounting location. I had to notch the cross member slightly to clear the body bushings but it was a pretty simple job to move it back and drill new holes to bolt it down.

I still need to repair a rusted place on the frame and redo the gas tank before bolting it back into the van. It won’t be long though…