On Mon, 30 Sep 2002, Myron Lind wrote:

> Jason, it has been suggested, properly I believe, that the TIICO motor
> mount/engine carrier needs to be welded, not suspended on rubber bushings.
> As it comes, it can float between the frame of the van and the engine. This
> is because is has rubber mounts at both the engine and at the frame of the
> van, allowing it to move independently from both the engine and the van. So
> damping might not (probably isn't) even be part of this picture.

My '82 diesel has this setup, too.  The bearer bars are on rubber bushings
and then the engine is tied to them with rubber bushings as well.  I've
heard the bushings between the bearer bars and the body were omitted in
the '83 model.

All those rubber bushings can be a pain if you have to remove an engine
mount.  (Necessary, for example, to take off the diesel's exhaust
manifold.)  You put a jack under the engine to support it and unbolt the
mount -- no problem.  But when you go to put it  back in, you discover it
doesn't fit!  With the weight off the bushings, the bearer bar has raised
itself up.  You have to jack the engine up another inch or two to get
everything to fit back together.  This caused me a bit of head-scratching.
It's a slightly disturbing moment when you try to put a critical
structural piece in and can't get it to fit back where it's supposed to.
;)

             _ _
  __ _ _   _| | |  | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE)              Ypsilanti, MI
 / _` | | | | | |  +-----------------------------------------------------
| (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
 \__, |\__,_|_|_| "To accept selfishness as an all-purpose excuse for
 |___/             mistreating others is to reject the whole idea of
                   right and wrong." -- Richard Stallman