Hi,

I'm building a 144 for a long distance rally and I've been told - often - that the engine mounts (including the stronger 164 mounts) are designed so that, on impact, the mounts split so the engine can slide safely out of the way. This design means that under rally conditions the mounts may just give way on a heavy bump or similar. I will chain the mounts anyway, but thought mounts like Landcruiser ones that have the top and bottom plates bend over so they catch each other on extreme movements would be good.

If you search ebay for "HJ75 engine mount" you'll see what I mean.

Does anybody know if there is anything like this that would fit on a 144/B20?

Regards

JohnH




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JohnH, Sydney, Australia

All out race cars all use solid mounts no rubber, All stockcars Nascar, local stock cars, sportsman, pro stocks all use solid mounts, on dirt and pavement, my 544 Ex Trans Am car used an aluminum disc about 1 1/2 thick with a 1/2" bolt throught the center. Dick

The B30 weighs half again what a B20 does, and puts out boatloads more torque -- those mounts aren't bad if they're replaced before the oil soaks through. BUT: the motor mount design itself is pretty screwed up, in that the locations where the mounts are haven't got enough leverage against the torque of the motor. No big deal for a stock vehicle, but...

IPD used to sell a third engine mount type arrangement, to prevent the engine from rocking under high power. This basically fixed the fundamental design weakness in the stock mounts. It was a flat bar from the top rear of the cylinder head to the fender, with a rubber mount at the fender. It positively located the top of the engine, to prevent the engine from tearing its mounts. You could easily make one if it cannot be bought.

Using two stock 164 mounts and the anti-rocking bar is generally considered enough to hold the engine exactly where it is supposed to be, under whatever conditions you might throw at it.

John - How about fashioning your own mounts with a thick rubber disc, a couple of large washers, and a stud that goes all the way through. Double nut the ends of the stud.

The stud would not allow the mount to shear off. You could drill out the mount holes and use a stud that is larger than the original fastener.

I once made a rubber engine thrust bushing for my Mini out of a hockey puck.
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'96 855R,'64 PV544 driver, '67 P1800 basket case, '72 Yamaha Rd400, '68 Honda 350-4, '12 XC70, the first 5 are mine, heh, heh, 525,000 miles put on 10 bricks James A Sousa

Those front HJ mounts look like they've got the right idea. You could probably just use those as they are.

So -- you want to think about what happens if your car gets attacked by a tree, ideally the motor will jump out of the way of the firewall instead of visiting the passenger compartment. The original mounts encourage this behavior -- the mounts fail and the motor falls between the firewall and the cross-member.

But those HJ mounts look like they'd do exactly what you want -- absorb the shocks of driving, shunt excess loads to the frame if the motor is moving substantially, and (probably) break if given a huge huge huge wack.


My guess is the 164 mounts would probably be pretty good, though. They tend to fail from getting soaked in oil for years.