[Bob Bidonde]

This is a quote from a reprint of Dyke's Automotive And Gasoline Engine Encyclopedia, Model "A" Passenger Car And Model "AA" Truck: Engine Chassis Manual,

"The Model "A" Ford car is equipped with a flexible front engine vibration absorbing support for the engine, which greatly reduces the transfer of engine vibration to the chassis. It is simple in design and operation, and frees the car from unpleasant vibration periods.

The support bracket is bolted to the front engine cover and rests on two flexible coil springs which support the front engine weight. The stud at the lower end of the bracket has a large foot. This foot comes almost in contact with the top of a stiff, flat, horizontal spring which rest on the frame cross member. This arrangement gives the front end of the engine a very large free range of vertical motion, yet holding it within definite limits. It thus permits the engine mass to move in response to the unbalanced inertia forces, yet the vibrations are absorbed or dissipated before they are transmitted to the chassis.

The flat spring and a lower coil spring used where the bracket stud passes through the frame, serve to cushion the engine against downward and upward road shocks."

The misnomer is our emphasis on the word "support." It is not a structural attachment that reacts engine power transmission to the rear axle, it is a vibration damper, similar to a shock absorber. The damper is adjustable by loosening or tightening the nut at the bottom of the stud.

Ford specifies that the space between the spring coils should be no less than 1/64" and no more than 1/32". This was the production and maintenance setting for original springs in new condition. However, the reproduction coil and flat springs do not have the stiffness of the original springs. Additionally, used original springs do not behave as they did when new. So I suggest we tune the front engine damper to get the least transfer of vibrations by iterating the nut tightness. This has been my practice for many years of driving my Model "A" cars.

By the way, the nut tightness also will reduce clutch chatter as is a common annoyance when converting to a V8 / tractor clutch. Also, all of the push and pulls of the rear axle go through the rear engine mounts to the frame, not the front damper.