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V8 cross-member to I-6 mounts?

Printed From: TheAMCForum.com
Category: The Garage
Forum Name: AMC 6 Cylinder Engine Repair and Modifications
Forum Description: AMC-made I-6 engine mechanical, ignition and fuel from basic repair to high-perf modifications
URL: https://theamcforum.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=88588
Printed Date: Mar/29/2024 at 6:13am
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Topic: V8 cross-member to I-6 mounts?
Posted By: 1982AMCConcord
Subject: V8 cross-member to I-6 mounts?
Date Posted: Jul/17/2017 at 9:03am
I think this is the right section but if not I am sorry.

OK.. crazy question.. but here it goes... 

Has anyone ever made adapters to mount an I-6 258 to a V8 cross-member without cutting anything up? 

Just curious... because if this was possible.. I'd like to install a V8 cross-member during my front end rebuild and then install the I6 back into the engine bay temporarily. If this were to be able to happen... then I wouldn't have to swap the I6 cross-member out later.. I'd just remove the adapter brackets and put the v8 stuff back on. 




Replies:
Posted By: 304-dude
Date Posted: Jul/17/2017 at 9:15am
I really don't see any market and to have them custom made to fit proper will be costly.

I6 cross members are easy to find and probably will be cheaper to buy. Just obtain an I6 cross member and install it for the I6. Keep your v8 one for later.

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Posted By: 1982AMCConcord
Date Posted: Jul/17/2017 at 9:23am
OK.. I know.. I agree not many people would want something like this but I just thought I'd ask...

I was going to just get the Bull Tear mounts but then there were a handful of guys saying they were having problems with them... then I  ended up with a really good deal on the V8 cross member.. so I couldn't pass it up. I've been told that swapping out the cross member wouldn't be too bad but I thought if I could put it in during the front end rebuild... I wouldn't have to do it again later. 


Posted By: LakesideRamblin
Date Posted: Jul/17/2017 at 9:34am
The mounts for I6 and V8 crossmembers are completely different. It will require custom modification(s) to the mounting brackets and probably major surgery via cutting and welding. IMHO, it will in essence render the V8 crossmember worthless once you are done. The Bulltear mounts work well on 66 - 69 American I6 crossmembers. 65 and earlier I6 crossmembers had different mounting brackets and will require modifications and shims to make the Bulltear mounts fit exactly as they must.

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LakesideRamblin
69 Rambler 360
73 Javelin 360
"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month." T. Roosevelt


Posted By: 1982AMCConcord
Date Posted: Jul/17/2017 at 9:37am
Originally posted by LakesideRamblin LakesideRamblin wrote:

The mounts for I6 and V8 crossmembers are completely different. It will require custom modification to the mounting brackets and probably major surgery via cutting and welding. IMHO, it will in essence render the V8 crossmember worthless once you are done. The Bulltear mounts work well on 66 - 69 American I6 crossmembers. 65 and earlier I6 crossmembers had different mounting brackets and will require modifications and shims to make the Bulltear mounts fit exactly as they must.

I suspected as much.. thanks a lot! I guess I will have to settle for swapping the mount later! Thanks! 


Posted By: LakesideRamblin
Date Posted: Jul/17/2017 at 1:57pm
You're welcome.  Best of luck on your project!  I have grown to really appreciate and like the Concord.

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LakesideRamblin
69 Rambler 360
73 Javelin 360
"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month." T. Roosevelt


Posted By: 1982AMCConcord
Date Posted: Jul/17/2017 at 2:03pm
Originally posted by LakesideRamblin LakesideRamblin wrote:

You're welcome.  Best of luck on your project!  I have grown to really appreciate and like the Concord.

Thank you.

Yes.. I have had mine since I was in high school. Still in really good shape. I was always just really proud to have any AMC. The Concord is the most basic of all AMC cars but it will always be my favorite! I always get stopped at gas stations or on the road because people want to talk about it. They usually remember a family member having one.. or an Eagle... and talk fondly of it. I think its just a good utilitarian car that reminds people of the old days. When friends of mine from high school remember I had that car in high school they always say... I can't believe you still have that car! 23 years and counting! The bottom line is.. the Concord will be the last AMC car anyone will appreciate but by the time they do... they will finally be all gone... so get em' while you can boys/girls! A two door Concord is nothing but the poor man's SC 360 Hornet! ;) 


Posted By: 73hornut
Date Posted: Jul/17/2017 at 6:44pm
Nobody is swapping I6's into V8 cars, so no demand.

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Posted By: SportaboutX
Date Posted: Jul/17/2017 at 7:20pm
Originally posted by 1982AMCConcord 1982AMCConcord wrote:

Originally posted by LakesideRamblin LakesideRamblin wrote:

You're welcome.  Best of luck on your project!  I have grown to really appreciate and like the Concord.
A two door Concord is nothing but the poor man's SC 360 Hornet! ;) 


My sentiments exactly. I love my 73 Hornet coupe with swapped in 401. The car, engine, conversion parts, etc cost me under $3k. The general public/car people love it, they can't believe that the big Jeep 6.6 v8 not only fit in there, but did so with all OEM parts. Its a hoot to drive. Don't let the SC snobs on this site get you down. In the real world no one cares about the difference, and any AMC is a darn cool car, esp a small one with a big V8 Wink


Posted By: 1982AMCConcord
Date Posted: Jul/18/2017 at 7:34am
Originally posted by SportaboutX SportaboutX wrote:

Originally posted by 1982AMCConcord 1982AMCConcord wrote:

Originally posted by LakesideRamblin LakesideRamblin wrote:

You're welcome.  Best of luck on your project!  I have grown to really appreciate and like the Concord.
A two door Concord is nothing but the poor man's SC 360 Hornet! ;) 


My sentiments exactly. I love my 73 Hornet coupe with swapped in 401. The car, engine, conversion parts, etc cost me under $3k. The general public/car people love it, they can't believe that the big Jeep 6.6 v8 not only fit in there, but did so with all OEM parts. Its a hoot to drive. Don't let the SC snobs on this site get you down. In the real world no one cares about the difference, and any AMC is a darn cool car, esp a small one with a big V8 Wink


Oh I'm not mad at anyone.. I'm just saying... there are a lot of good AMC cars out there! I really enjoy my Concord. I hope to enjoy it even more with a v8 someday! I like all cars... regardless of brand.. but AMC's are what I grew up around and I like them more than a lot of others.


Posted By: DaemonForce
Date Posted: Jul/18/2017 at 4:49pm
Originally posted by 73hornut 73hornut wrote:

Nobody is swapping I6's into V8 cars, so no demand.

I really wanted to chime in just to challenge this but what car is this going into? If it's the Concord, just get an I6 crossmember from a yard Eagle and quick swap the crossmember with the V8 when you finally get around to swapping in the new V8. I get the point of this. V8s are expensive to build, especially ours. The average BBF in my trucks runs a typical $4K just for the short block assembly. With any mid-block American we're looking at $6K complete from start to finish. Compared to the usual $2K Jeep stroker, the money just isn't there. Ouch


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1971 Javelin SST
American 304 2v | FMX | AM20-3.31

1983 American Limited
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Posted By: purple72Gremlin
Date Posted: Jul/18/2017 at 7:27pm
Originally posted by DaemonForce DaemonForce wrote:

Originally posted by 73hornut 73hornut wrote:

Nobody is swapping I6's into V8 cars, so no demand.

I really wanted to chime in just to challenge this but what car is this going into? If it's the Concord, just get an I6 crossmember from a yard Eagle and quick swap the crossmember with the V8 when you finally get around to swapping in the new V8. I get the point of this. V8s are expensive to build, especially ours. The average BBF in my trucks runs a typical $4K just for the short block assembly. With any mid-block American we're looking at $6K complete from start to finish. Compared to the usual $2K Jeep stroker, the money just isn't there. Ouch
Eagle CMs are different.  Pretty much all V8s are expensive to build. AMC isnt really that much more to build.  the machine work is what gets expensive.


Posted By: 1982AMCConcord
Date Posted: Jul/19/2017 at 7:03am
Originally posted by DaemonForce DaemonForce wrote:

Originally posted by 73hornut 73hornut wrote:

Nobody is swapping I6's into V8 cars, so no demand.

I really wanted to chime in just to challenge this but what car is this going into? If it's the Concord, just get an I6 crossmember from a yard Eagle and quick swap the crossmember with the V8 when you finally get around to swapping in the new V8. I get the point of this. V8s are expensive to build, especially ours. The average BBF in my trucks runs a typical $4K just for the short block assembly. With any mid-block American we're looking at $6K complete from start to finish. Compared to the usual $2K Jeep stroker, the money just isn't there. Ouch

Well dude.. its like you're reading my mind... because that is the entire motivation behind this post I made. I have a lot of the stuff to do the v8 swap.... but my front end has gotten so bad over the recent years... ball joints... steering... bad shocks... sagging coils... etc... I think its questionable to even drive around right now. Unfortunately... the car sat for 10 years before I got back to it and I have been driving it lightly ever since... so it REALLY needs to be done. So while I COULD just do the suspension and get it all squared a way... I am going to take it all the way.

I am taking the engine and trans out. I am getting my body guy to go through the engine bay (rust on inner frame rails next to engine and under battery tray) and refinish/repaint it from the frames rails down. This will not be show car work but driver quality. He'll make it nice and then redo the undercoating as well. During this process he is going to drop the entire front end off the car... so the front end will be down to the sub-structure. 

Over the last two years... I have been accumulating all the parts for the front end redo. I already have like $600 worth of steering/suspension parts and I am about to order about another $700 in brake and steering parts in the coming weeks. I also have all the hard parts... upper/lower control arms.... strut rods and brackets... spring perches... shock towers... and I will have all that assembled, painted and ready for my friend when I drop the car off. So he'll have a table of about 1000 bucks worth of parts at his disposal when he gets it. Then all he'll have to do is take down the old stuff... throw it on the floor... fix the engine bay.... then hang all the new stuff. I don't want him wasting his time refinishing/repainting the old hard parts or installing bushings or all that stuff. I want the stuff to be ready for him and he can move from A to B and C.... and so on. Doing this way... I hope... will make less headaches for him and I can get my car back faster. 

Now mix what I wrote above with the added expense of building a 4-6000 dollar engine and you can see why I asked the question for this post.... if there was a way to use the v8 cross member with the I6 for a few years... without hacking it all up... that would make sense to me considering how deep Iam going into the front end of this car.

Also... Thank you for validating my thought process.... just when I think I am over thinking something.. someone comes along and justifies my thinking... thanks.


Posted By: 1982AMCConcord
Date Posted: Jul/19/2017 at 7:17am
Originally posted by purple72Gremlin purple72Gremlin wrote:

Originally posted by DaemonForce DaemonForce wrote:

Originally posted by 73hornut 73hornut wrote:

Nobody is swapping I6's into V8 cars, so no demand.

I really wanted to chime in just to challenge this but what car is this going into? If it's the Concord, just get an I6 crossmember from a yard Eagle and quick swap the crossmember with the V8 when you finally get around to swapping in the new V8. I get the point of this. V8s are expensive to build, especially ours. The average BBF in my trucks runs a typical $4K just for the short block assembly. With any mid-block American we're looking at $6K complete from start to finish. Compared to the usual $2K Jeep stroker, the money just isn't there. Ouch
Eagle CMs are different.  Pretty much all V8s are expensive to build. AMC isnt really that much more to build.  the machine work is what gets expensive.

Exactly. I have already gone around and asked a lot of guys about building a good engine for this car. I have ball park numbers from a handful of guys and I think I'll be good when it does happen. I have a complete core 360 (2 barrel carb to pan... flywheel to front end accessories) in my garage I want to use as the foundation. I also have the free flow exhaust manifolds, an Eddy Perf intake and a set of 090 heads too. My goal is to build a stout bottom end and a mild top end... then later on possibly swapping to the Eddy heads and Air Gap intake. I'd like to start off with 9:1 or so compression then jump closer to 10:1 with the aluminum heads later on. At least that is the general goal... to have a builder engine of sorts... something that the bottom end will be good enough to add top end parts to later. I have even been thinking of doing a stroker 360 but I think that is overkill for the 4dr. small car platform. The 360 already has a fantastic TQ curve... I see no REAL reason to enhance it for a small car platform vehicle except for bragging rights... which is cool and all but in this case... talking a lot will cost me even more money for an already expensive engine build! ha...



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