Original MBX5T Engine Mount

Modified MBX5T Engine Mount

So I finally got around to modifying the one-piece MBX5T Engine Mount that came with the kit to make it fit my Axial 32 Spec 1s engine today.  I actually picked up an engine mount for the MBX6T the other day since that one comes in two pieces to see if it would fit, but unfortunately the hole alignments are different between the two models so the other engine mount didn’t fit.

I decided to just cut the engine mount with my Dremel.
As you can see in the pictures of the engine mount from the top and bottom views, the engine mount comes as a single piece and the problem is the rear of the engine mount because the Axial 32 Spec 1s engine has a pull-start which gives the back of the engine a bump that doesn’t fit inside the engine mount.

So I grabbed my Dremel and started cutting.  It actually wsn’t very easy to cut through the mount, and I ended up breaking a few cutting discs in the process, but I finally managed to get the cut done.

Once I got the back cut, I had to go back and grind the edges a bit more to make room for the rear lip of the engine.  To make things a bit more complicated, the hole for the bottom screws was pretty close to where I was grinding so I had to be careful not to go too far and cut into the hole, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get the screw in there from the bottom of the chassis.

Here’s what the modified engine mount looked like after I was done with it and once mounted onto the engine.  I know it’s not pretty, but it did fit.

Here’s a 360 degree view of what the Axial 32 Spec 1 looks like from all four sides with the modified engine mount in place.

Now, to get the engine actually mounted onto the MBX5T, I had to make one further modification.  Because the lip of the pull-start module at the back actually stuck out by a few millimeters I had to raise the engine a bit in order for it to fit properly onto the chassis.  My buddy Seb suggested I use some 4mm washers underneath the engine mount to raise the engine which is what I did.

Engine Mount Raised With 4mm Washers

To raise the engine, I used three 4mm washers stacked on top of each other for each of the four holes that mount the engine. Getting that done wasn’t very easy though. Trying to get three washers to stay on top of each other while you place the engine on top and try to get the screws mounted from below proved to be quite impossible.

After trying to do it a few times I got frustrated as the washers wouldn’t stay on top of each other in perfect alignment. Then I had the idea of gluing the washers together on top of each other so that they stay, but I didn’t have any crazy glue left as mine dried up. Then I thought about using thread lock to do it. It worked perfectly!

I put a little bit of thread lock on the surface of the washers and created little 3-washer blocks that stuck together as soon as the thread lock dried.

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