Motor mount reinforcement question

[tompumped]

I plan on reinforcing my own mounts. I've been spending too much money, if I can save some I need to.
I'm going to drill and put bolts through them and bushings. I bought es sway bar bushings. Should I install four bolts on the front mount and bushings on both sides of the bolt? I'm not sure if there's enough room to fit two per bolt.
On the rear would two bolts be good enough? thank you

 

[sho4life]

reinforcing.

check this forum . you gotta buy a two part epoxy to fill that mount up. or maybe sho times. it cost 45.. my mount is better than the ones they sell for 125. you dont need the busings just two grade 8 bolts

 

[tompumped]

I already bought the end link bushings. I thought I read people just use the bushings and bolts. I was considering buying the epoxy, but I thought four bolts with bushings would be good on the front.

 

[frosho]

You should be fine with 1 bushing per bolt.

 

[itwonder]

Just drill in the center and use one bolt. No bushing needed on the inside; one there may interfere with the limiter rod. Remove the wimpy limiter rod, enlarge the holes and replace with a larger bolt. If you happen to have a welder, weld the bolt in place for added strength, but that is not required.

The filler material is urethane, not epoxy. I did mine that way. The resulting mount is very stiff, definitely suitable for a track car but more noise and vibration than I would prefer for a street car.

 

[tompumped]

My front mount must've been bad for long before I got the car. The mount was completely shot. I'm glad I didn't buy a reinforced mount because I wouldn't have been able to turn this one in for a core. On the bottom of the mount where the stud is it's rusted through, it's not that bad, but I was not happy to see that. I'm going to have it welded, it's only maybe an inch long. I used four bolts and metal lock nuts for the front mount with poly bushings. I'm going to use two on the rear and one on the trans. I removed the limiting rod for the front.
I was planning on just doing one mount today, but i'm doing all of them.

 

[jayro]

Were you planning on replacing the limiting rod with a hardened 1/2" bolt? It would probably be a good idea. It is my understanding that if the motor mount fails the limiting rod is what keeps it from completely seperating. I would think that not having it there at all could be a saftey issue.

Jeremy

 

[SASHO91]

So what your saying is... this may be slightly overkill????

 

[jayro]

So what your saying is... this may be slightly overkill????

Nah...that's just making sure it's solid.

I did mine with only one bolt and then poured it with urethane. There is pretty much NO movement now. There is a noticable difference in the NHV though...especially at idle.

And off topic, how long have you been in SA? I lived there for about 10yrs until I moved to Indiana.

Jeremy

 

[SASHO91]

Yeah, my dash hates me.

Lived here all my life.

 

[tompumped]

Were you planning on replacing the limiting rod with a hardened 1/2" bolt? It would probably be a good idea. It is my understanding that if the motor mount fails the limiting rod is what keeps it from completely seperating. I would think that not having it there at all could be a saftey issue.

Jeremy

I know you are just trying to help, but I guess you don't understand what I did to reinforce the mount. I used four grade 8 bolts, I put polyurethane bushings on the bottom side of the bolts and I used grade 8 flanged metal lock nuts, not nylon. Those bolts aren't going anywhere. Even if the bushings failed the bolts would still be there, so the mount wouldn't be able to come apart.

 

[tompumped]

SASHO, why did you keep the dampener? I'm just curious I plan on removing both dampeners on the passenger side and just keeping the one at the trans. I really don't see a purpose for them after reinforcement, but maybe there is.

 

[SASHO91]

I pulled it out when I pulled the engine. There really is no need once you have solid mounts, or near solid. Just never got around to taking them off till I pulled the engine. All three of mine are gone, but my trans mount is reinforced as well.

They are off now, and I can't tell a difference. But I doubt that I would even be able to with these mounts and ALSFB's.

 

[tompumped]

For some reason i'm having trouble getting the rear mount out. I don't know what i'm doing wrong. I sure hope I didn't break anything by jacking the motor too much. I guess i'll figure it out tomorrow.

 

[AREA 91]

For some reason i'm having trouble getting the rear mount out. I don't know what i'm doing wrong. I sure hope I didn't break anything by jacking the motor too much. I guess i'll figure it out tomorrow.

Did you un-hook your DIS or remove the cross over tube?

 

[tompumped]

I ended up having to drop the subframe to get it out, I don't know why I couldn't get it out. I really don't. Right now i'm having the hardest time getting the bolts started for the rear mount. This is turning out to be the worst job i've had to do ever. I'm going to lose it. This car was such a mistake.

 

[tompumped]

I did one of the dumbest things ever the reason I couldn't get the rear mount out was because I didn't unbolt the dampener. At least in my defense I had no intention in reinforcing the rear mount only the front then I decided to do all of them. I still can't believe I missed that.
Unfortunately the vibration now is pretty bad, I have aluminum subframe bushings also.

 

[Eric VerValin]

lol woah man... I missed your post earlier when I was on .... don't say mistake... it is just the new woman in your life... she likes you and wants your hands all over her...

I reinforced the crap outta my mounts I think you probally seen, and I also have ALSFB's.. and it exploits a lot of little noises.. if you have them... you learn to keep your suspension up 100% or be annoyed forever.. anyway...

Your setup should be fine... unless you beat the ever loving snot out of your car at every other red light like I do, you should be ok for a long time.. maybe in a few years you might do well to tighten those bolts a little incase the rubber shrinks a little... and be really careful about bolting up the subframe nice and slow / even. I swear if you don't, and have aluminum it'll wanna walk / tweak / make noise.. thats just what I think.. I try to torque mine down once it touches the frame a few 4 or 5 different times, so its pretty evenly clamped.. maybe I'm a lil OCD about my car..

As for the bracket thing.. we've all done stuff the wrong way on these things, before we said.. "hey there was a really easy way to do that.. I feel like a ******* now! "

Trust me.. I took my entire car apart bolt by bolt... I said it a few times.. took off stuff I didn't need to.. but in the end... I can tear into something in a minuite just because I've done it before.


Now if your trans goes boom... or you need a new steering rack.. it won't be that hard of a job.. just a little time with your baby..

Love the car, it will love you back..

 

[tompumped]

I would have no problem doing all this if there was no rust on the car. I would be somewhat happy, because then I would drive it for years and not worry about it rotting away. I don't know shit about body work or what to do about the few patches under the car, but I guess i'll have to learn. I told myself I was going to sell it and get another and I should've. Now I don't think it would make sense to.
I spent 1800 on it with 100k on it and i've probably put 3 into it. Which is way more than I thought it needed. It's only got 108k miles now. I thought I was getting a decent deal, but now I don't. I also thought I knew what to look for. I have to learn not to rush into things.
Anyway, I probably did see pics of your mounts I don't remember.
You lost me a little a little at the end there but I got it now. At first I torqued my subframe. Then I read about people having problems with theirs loosening up so now I use the impact and tighten them a little after I torque it. I haven't had it loosen up.
I've actually been good to this car, but my first SHO I beat really bad. After owning that car and seeing what abuse that motor & trans took that's why I decided to get another (years later).
I know what you are saying about being ocd, I can't believe i'm like this now. I don't ever think I was with anything sometimes it bothers me bad. I guess i'm just too paranoid or worried about doing things as good as I can. Thanks

 

[tompumped]

It's pretty funny though, when I first hit the starter, I was like wow. I could feel the starter. Right then I knew. It will take some getting used to. I might consider installing different bushings. I think they are 3rd gen mounts.
I haven't even driven it yet, when I was done I took the intake off to install a set of cleaned injectors. Then next week I have to adjust the valves and i'm done with my first 60k service ever. Maybe i'll feel relieved until the clutch goes.
Ohh just to mention one other wonderful thing, I noticed it seems like my head gasket is seeping some oil out of the rear bank ever so slightly on both of the back corners.
I only found one other member with this problem or at least one thread, just my luck.