ERA folks...please help / getting frustrated

[SSSammy]

Kramer,
Put the car up on stands. Make sure they're secure .. you're gonna get under the car

Loosen the two 1/2" nuts on the motor mount studs and the tranny mount nuts as much as possible without removing them.

Lying on your back .. head under the bellhousing and feet toward the radiator .. grab a side pipe in each hand and wiggle the engine till you get the pipes as centered as you want. Use the tips of your fingers as gauges between pipes and body. If you have sufficient clearance all around, tighten everything up and go for a beer

If, like me, the whole mess is still sitting too low in the body cut outs, then fabricate some shims. I used what I had handy, some .090" Alum plate. Made 2.5" x 2.5" squares, drilled 1/2" hole in the center and cut the hole into a slot with a jig saw. I did 4 of them at once, cutting them off the sheet only after all the slots were done. Put a floor jack under the bellhousing and jack the engine up 1/4" so you can slide the shims between the motor mount and the engine perch. I used two per side, for a total lift of .180". Slide them over the mount stud from the top, then lower the jack verrrry gently so they don't move or fall off. Then tighten nuts as tight as you can using various techniques because the damn things are so hard to get a wrench on because they are hidden up in the engine perch and you can only turn them 1/12 revolution at a time Result: both pipes prety much centered, minimum clearance to body about 1/2". Go for two fingers of single malt scotch

Let me know how it goes .. going for more scotch

Sam