DYI Motor Mounts

[Dr.Jeff]

Engine support bush Lancia Beta Montecarlo, 68,50 €

Lancia Beta Montecarlo

www.bielstein.com

Thanks for the link. Looking at the part number in that listing, it appears this is not the same bushing as for the X1/9 mount. However I also noticed there seems to be more than one version of this Lancia bushing. Look at the images for that part number below; one has the "void" areas moulded into the rubber portion, the other is solid:

Just for comparison here is the bushing for the X1/9 mount:

I don't know how the dimensions compare between the Lancia and X applications. But possibly the Lancia part may be a bit of an upgrade for the X snail mount? Especially the solid one. The supply of X snail mounts in recent years have suffered from a very short bushing life.

 

[ward00]

Mounts installed, a pain to press in. Once I get the car running I'll report back on the harshness. I like these bushings as they have the same slots as the stock ones.

Was there ever a final consensus as to correct orientation of the slots in the rubber? Seems to me if the slots were intended to be oriented 90 degrees to what is shown in your photo the slots would provide less cushioning, in which case why not have eliminated the slots entirely. I do see the argument, however, that in the orientation shown the bushing rubber would over time have a tendency to sag downward due to engine weight. Which orientation did you settle on?

 

[ward00]

Just wanted to document and form a consensus of one regarding the orientation of the slots in the bushings. All 3 of my presumably original bushings on a 75 Lancia that has about 50K miles were mounted with the slots in an up/down orientation, and all 3 of them were collapsed down such that the center of the bushing was resting against the bottom rubber of the bottom slot. I estimate that this dropped the engine/tranny down at least 1/2 inch from it original orientation. With this in mind I will be installing all the bushings with the slots in a left/right orientation. So far I have replaced the easiest one (the transmission mounted one). To remove the bushing I used one of the slots as a starting point for my jig saw and cut out the rubber part. Afterward I cut opposite slits in the metal ring and used a punch to knock the metal ring out. I stored the new bushings in the freezer and rather than fight with a press, I used a drill grinder to increase the diameter of the housing that holds the metal ring to a point that it could be knocked in relatively easily. I can't understand why the factory would have wanted the up/down orientation other than to maybe soften the ride a little. I'll settle for a possibly stiffer ride over who knows what the collapsed bushings could cause.

 

[lanciahf]

Thanks for sharing, let us know how you like the “feel”

 

[ward00]

Just wanted to post a picture of what my collapsed mounts looked like. In the car they small slot was completely compressed. I'm sure the slots serve a function, but they definitely are a weak point. I decided to split the difference and mount the slots at a 45 degree angle relative to their original up down orientation. Hopefully that will split the difference between hard and soft support.