Installing 1” Motor Mount Risers

I had done a previous write up on installing on-board air and due to a 1” body lift I needed to get creative with ways to make the belt route so it would miss the fender well and air conditioner line.  After going through 1 bracket and countless belts I made the determination that I did not have the patience to work through the problems that arose due to this modification.  That is when I decided that it was time to raise the motor and be done with the problems once and for all.

I had done a fair amount of research on the web and decided on the Daystar 1” Riser Motor Mounts from Quadratec.  They were ~$80.00 but were Zinc plated and at $80 were cheaper than some and more expensive than some.  I didn’t want to go cheap on the mounts, but also didn’t want to spend a small fortune.

   I took some measurements of the clearance from the fender well to the on-board air compressor.  Before it was right at 2.5” and didn’t allow the belt to clear the fender well.

After removing the engine skid plate I loosened the four bolts that hold the transfer case to the transfer case skid plate allowing the transfer case, transmission and motor move with minimum resistance.  Remove the bolts that hold the fan shroud allowing the fan shroud to move freely. 

I had read in one of the articles on the web that they would recommend doing the passenger side first.  Following our installation I would recommend installing the driver side first, it may same some time and problems.

We loosened the bolts on the motor mounts on both sides.  Make sure you do not remove the bolts at this time.  Once the bolts were loose we placed a jack under the bell housing.  I read many reports that had the jack under the oil pan, but felt that the bell housing was a much safer place to allow the engine weight to rest.  The pressure on the jack was increased until we could see the weight of the engine come off the front end.  We then removed the bolts from one side; you only want to do one side at a time.    If the weight of the engine is off the mounts the bolts should slide out, if they are tight continue to raise the jack until the weight is off the motor mounts. Once the bolts were removed, three in all, two mounting the motor mounts to the frame and one that attached the mount to the engine the old motor mount can be removed from the engine bay.

With the OEM motor mount out and placed next to the riser motor mount one can tell the significant difference in height.

The next step is to place the new motor mount into the area where the OEM mount was removed from.  The two bolts that secure the motor mount to the frame were tighten down to the point were the engine could be raised and the mount would not move with it.  We then proceeded to jack the engine up, about a 1”, and line it up with the new mounts.  Once up slide the bolt through the engine mount and the new motor mounts and place the nut on to secure.  Tighten the long bolt that secures the engine mount and the motor mount together and then proceed to slowly lower the engine until the weight is transferring to the vehicle.  Make sure no wires or lines are pinched and tighten up all the mounting bolts.

Once done the process can be repeated for the other side. 

Once complete make sure all bolts are torque to the proper settings and that the four bolts in the transfer case skid are tightened up. 

Even though this picture is slightly blurry, one can see I gained approximately 1.25 – 1.5” at the front of the engine.  This provided the necessary clearance for the on-board air and allowed the fan shroud to be placed in its original location.  (It was off due to a previously installed 1” body lift.)