Anyone have any tips? I have the engine held on a support bar.

I just cannot get the front / rear mounts & engine mounts to all line up at one time! Is there a knack to getting it back in?
I tried putting the front bolts in first, then pivoting it up at the rear, but it looks like there is no chance the V mount studs will go in that way because of the angle.

 

Where are you now? Is anything attached to the chassis frame yet?

 

Is the chassis twisted in any way?

You should hopefully get one of the studs through the rear mount holes and start winding that one up. Then the others should start to come through enough to get nuts on them.

Mine did not line up perfectly either, but that is how we achieved it.

 

Separate the engagements rather than try to line everything up at one time.
Start with bolts through front bushes but do not tighten, subframe down at back slightly. With jack under subframe bring engine mounts to engage by raising subframe and/or slight lowering of engine. Then complete process by engaging rear V mounts by raising subframe to body.

 

Ok thanks All, i'll give it another go tomorrow.
I tried just aligning the rear subframe V mounts first with the front large bolts in place to rotate around, but due to the fan catching in the radiator cowling I can't lift the engine high enough to get it out of the way of the engine mounts so it was all just getting caught up.
Then I tried focusing on & lowering the engine so the engine mount thread was just engaged in the engine mount brackets, but it was then impossible to get the front bolts in.
The chassis shouldn't be twisted - the car is sitting on axle stands under the front jacking points.

 

Further to Baxtor's points, and having recently had just this trouble, as he said:

1. get the front six shot bushes in with their bolts but not tightened
2. then (this is what i did) loosen the nut on the lower stud of the engine mount round bushes where they are fixed to the subframe, so the nut is on the stud but so you can move the bush about, *
3. then push up the subframe with a jack and as the top stud on the engine mount starts to get close or nearly touch the bracket on the engine, use a long screwdriver to wobble the bush in lace so the top stud will go through the slot in the bracket as the subframe is further pushed upwards * - best with two people, on on the jack, on on the screwdriver. Then get a nut on the top stud though not tightened
4. finally, keep jacking, and as needed lever the subframe about a bit with a suitably long lever to get the rear V mounts studs through the subframe.
5. Tighten the V mounts and then the engine mounts and then the six shots. The engine mount nuts are 9/16ths A/F, and buying a ratchet spanner in this size from Halfords will be the best thing you ever did for this job. There is just enough clearance, airboxes off, etc etc, to get such a spanner on the top and bottom mount nuts.

** A Grant Francis tip, I should add!

 

Got it in - Thanks for the tips! loosening the engine mounts both ends was a big help. I also double checked the front bush alignment in the subframe each side and they weren't quite even so that may have contributed.
I've mullered one side of the thread on the rear mount where it scraped its way into the subframe but it tightened up ok.
If those rear holes in the subframe were drilled out to ~15mm before fitting it would make this job 100 times easier.