V8 Engine Stabilizer Rod (or not)

amcdonald

Active Member
Hello

I am tying up some loose ends - mainly fixing things I broke, list goes on - prior to firing up my rebuild V8 motor. In fact I was almost able to turn the key had I not buggered up the BW35 inhibitor switch while not being bothered to loosen the exhaust I just fitted, to get at it. Anyhow the car came to me with a horrible aftermarket AC unit that was in place of the glovebox and miraculously working. Now, I stripped all that off including the enormous bracket that held the compressor. Also, this incorporated the engine stabilizer rod. I am not putting this bracket back on so I am left sans stabilizer rod. Well, I have the rod, it's just it is in my leftovers bin and not in the car.

Two part question. First - does anyone have a standard set of brackets available? Second - what about driving without it?

Adrian
 
My 4.2l p6 doesn’t have one (the rather unnecessary serpentine conversion put the PAS pump in the way). It doesn’t seem to make any difference.
 
when you blip the throttle on the v8 you can see the rock sideward that happens. so i would imagine that motion under hard acceleration would be exaggerated?
 
I reckon it will contribute to even earlier failure of the engine mounts. Which in my experience, and that's using the stabiliser rod, don't seem to survive all that long anyway!
 
One thing in my favor is that I never go anywhere, so the miles are unlikely to be racking up so I am not as concerned about wearing anything out, but I do expect that if it did not do any good it would not be there in the first place. I have searched the internet and of all the pics out there, it is hard to see anything that clearly shows much of the rod attachments at all. But then I only just remembered, in another muppet move, I probably have a pic of the motor before it was disassembled. And so I did. Now I can try to find out where on earth it ends up under the rad hose! I do have the bracket for the body end fixing, in the mystery leftovers bin.
Stab Rod.JPG
 
I have the stabilizer rod in my 1972 3500s, but not in my 1971 3500. It was not installed when i bought it in 2005 and I have not seen any downsides not having it installed. The 3500 is an import car first sold in Western Germany, and does not have the dual brake system fitted to my 3500s.
 
It all depends on how good your engine mounts are. We all know that rubber products now are not a patch on original Metalastik units.

In the short term, with good mounts there wont be an issue, the situation will need monitoring. My Cobra replica RV8 engine does not have a steady, sits on stock mounts and has been pushed to extreme levels of use using all the power, torque, and racing type abuse possible for donkeys years without spitting the engine out the side of the car. It does however not weigh as much as the Rover, topping the scales at around 1000kg.
 
One thing in my favor is that I never go anywhere, so the miles are unlikely to be racking up so I am not as concerned about wearing anything out, but I do expect that if it did not do any good it would not be there in the first place. I have searched the internet and of all the pics out there, it is hard to see anything that clearly shows much of the rod attachments at all. But then I only just remembered, in another muppet move, I probably have a pic of the motor before it was disassembled. And so I did. Now I can try to find out where on earth it ends up under the rad hose! I do have the bracket for the body end fixing, in the mystery leftovers bin.
View attachment 18132
I think you will find your aircon compressor is in the way of the original mounting point.
Mine has the aircon and the rod is absent, but the chassis mount is still there.
 
Yes, I took the aircon out for good so now there is access to the front of the right side cylinder head where the thread holes are, so I could add the stab rod back. I think I will not worry about it for recommissioning, but will later get a new engine bracket fabricated so I can use my current body side mount point.
 
Oh thanks, yes - the first time I have seen what it might look like complete. I'm pretty sure that my emissions canister is in the way for this variety but now I have the full picture to be going on with. Also explains the lack of a front lifting eye on my motor when it was pulled out..........
 
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