[Mark W. Winning]

Sunday, I was at Moroso and they had their Hot Rod Sunday car show. There was a ton of 1st gens there. One was for sale and was listed as matching numbered. I was looking at the exhaust on the car and noted something I had never seen before. On the driver side exhaust manifold there was a bracket attach to two of the bolts. There was then a cable running from this bracket to under the fender well. It probably connected to the frame or upper suspension peices. Looked like a "factory" engine hold down. I was just wondering if it was original or not, because I had never seen one before.

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Mark

1992 Firebird 355/Six Speed (Soon to be LT1)
1991 RS 350 / 700-R4
1987 Toyota Pickup 383 / 500 + HP 10.963 @ 119.95 Slicks / 11.997 @ 114.23 Radials
"Speed KILLS, so drive a FORD and live forever!"
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/~racer383/

 

[Jeff H]

That sounds like the correct bracket. It was used to counteract engine torque to keep the engine from twisting too much on its mounts. If I'm wrong on this, someone let me know.

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Jeff H - 93 Indy 500 Pace Car(supercharged), Hugger Orange 69 Z28 with JL8 brakes being restored

 

[clill]

That was installed as part of a Recall.

 

[Geezer]

Clill is right; those were installed on a recall as a cure for defective engine mounts. I just can’t remember the date…

 

[DelGratta]

Dang! Wish I'd known that cuz last summer we had to replace my drivers side mount. (It wasnt as easy as I thought it was going to be... a lift sure woulda helped.) Had I known about the recall, I would have brought it down to the local dealer and let them do it. (haha)

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Dan
My 68 RS Convertible 1 My 68 RS Convertible 2
My Web Page

 

[phel69]

I had those on my 69 SS396. I believe mine were looped around each exhaust manifold, then went down and around upper control arm somehow. I took them off long ago when I put a 350 in the car before I restored it. They may have been bolted to the exhaust manifolds, I can't remember. I'll have to go out and look for the parts, I think that I still have them somewhere in my garage.

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Bob
Garnet Red 69/SS396/TH400/355 Posi
94 HD Dyna Wideglide

 

[Stewie]

Back in 1969 I got a recall from GM. I took the car in and they installed the cables. I was really upset with the fix. I thought they would have put in beefier motor mounts. All they did was intall the cables. The next week I put headers on and they were gone. I only wish I had kept the manifolds, smog equipment. Can you imagine I left them in my storage garage when I left it. I can remember them hangin on the wall. Duhhh.

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Only 69 Z/28s
Garnet Red 30,000 mi
Glacier Blue
Rally Green new in 69

 

[John Doyle]

It was a recall item. Basically it's a bracket that bolts to two holes of the exhaust manifold and a cable with 2 eyelets that wraps around the upper control arm. The eyelets then return to the bracket and a pin inserts through the eyelets and out the other side. Then a cotter pin holds the pin in place. I was told by judges to leave it off. I wanted to install it anyway, but couldn't get it to fit right (the cable was bending funny) so I left it off.

John

 

[Da_Z_Man]

While you are on this subject i have a question for ya all. A friend of mine claims his dad had a 67 camaro with a 454 in it(not original stock or anything). But my question is he said that he had so much torque that he was always breaking motor mounts, so he chained down the engine. Well suppsively(not sure if thats a word) he was breaking the chain and motor mounts. is that anywhere near possible, with a streetable motor? seems a little far fetched for me. thanx Jon

'69 RS/Z28
'89 Bonneville SSE

 

[pipeman]

Heck yea, I once busted the mount in Dads ole 68 chevy pickup with the monstorous 250 6 cyl in it, the old type mounts were held together by rubber and once the rubber started seperating, it was fan shroud time

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69 rallye green X77 Z/28,1967 SS 396 Conv. 1974 c-10 454 swb

 

[JohnZ]

The cable was the field fix for separated motor mounts (this was before the "interlocked" motor mount design went into production, which was the final production fix); this was, at the time, the biggest recall in GM history - if the mount separated, the engine rolled to the right and jammed the throttle linkage wide open. If you have the original pre-recall non-interlocked motor mounts and no cable, would probably be a good idea to replace the mounts with the newer interlocked type.

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JohnZ
'69 Z28 Fathom Green