I've been doing a little research... all the frrax guys love solid mounts. They say it makes the car feel a lot better. Im sold on that basis. Most of them even said their vibrations diminished after switching to solid mounts. There's more "noise" in the vibration, but less amplitude I guess would be the scientific way to put it. I've been in mw66nova's car a few times back in the day and I dont remember being too bothered by the solid mounts then. I've got several minor issues that Im starting to believe are worn stock engine mounts.

So with solid mounts, I was wondering are they are physically smaller than regular mounts? Is it, for example, easier to get to the mount bolts to install them? I'm worried about trying to change clutches in the future with solid mounts. Im guessing I cant just lean the tailshaft down 6 inches or so anymore. And Im not even sure I can unbolt them and let the engine sit in them and lean it down. Will taht hypothetically damage the mounts? Anyone ever changed a clutch with solid motor mounts? Maybe a silly concern, but it matters to me.

 

Not "smaller" exactly, just simpler in shape.. So I guess you could say "yeah but no". Haven't changed any clutches with a solid setup. I don't regret the solid mounts at all, though. Cheap investment that takes care of a lot of future headaches. Got mine from UMI and it's a nice set.

 

so use polyurethane mounts and don't worry about it because it is the best of both worlds.

Although I don't see an issue with solid mounts... all engines will "lean" on the mounts until you install the transmission and cross member.

 

I have solid mounts.
I had to use them for my 1 7/8 headers b/c they provide more room compared to the stockers.

It's hard to tell if there is less vibration b/c I have long tubes and a single 4" exhaust

 

I run solid mounts on some of my cars. The vibrations aren't that bad at all.

As for installing, yes the mounts are a lot smaller and leave much more room. One of the reasons I run them.

 

Another vote for poly my trans drops down just fine. No way i could get to the top 2 bolts of the T56 without it.
Motor is plenty stable too.

 

 

I've run solid mounts on many cars.

With the issues of poly mounts and raising the engine on ourt cars, I would not run them, just go with the solids! Jegs has them a little cheaper in their own brand as well.

 

I run moroso solid mounts, much more room, keeps my exhaust from moving with the engine and hitting the frame, prevents engine sag/tilt.

When I switched from worn stock rubber to the solid ounts the car was noticallby easier to get rolling (cluth car), and the shifts did have an improved feel. That was old stock mounts to solid, not sure the poly wouldn't have done the same thing. The car does vibrate more but it does not bother me.

They do flex quite a bit in torsion, but I dont know if I'd pull the trans down far enough to get to the top bolts.I'll know in a week or two

 

Yeah I get a lot of clunky clutch chattery type symptoms even with stock replacement clutches and I get a lot of vibrations around 1000 rpm on an engine that I paid good money to balance. Could be several things, but worn mounts is one possibility... Plus the handling benefits.... Seems like from what I can tell poly mounts are more the worst of both worlds than the best. But like I said Im worried that even if I pull the bolts that if I tilt the engine to get to those top two bellhousing bolts it will damage the mounts. How tough are they?

Do they usually use the factory clamshells on the block side?

 

No, You need frame and motor side mounts. They list them in Jegs

Here ya go

http://www.jegs.com/i/Moroso/710/62610K/10002/-1

 

Summitracing.com has the same mounts sold separately for 63.87 for both. Parts numbers are the same 62510 and 62610
77.99 at Jegs.com

 

That will be fun in the car then... I'm already planning on pulling the control arms to do it, but I can address other things in the process I guess. Did you guys just use a cherry picker or jack under the oil pan or what? What's the easiest way to do this in the car?

 

this is the best way to hold the motor up while swapping these mounts:

 

Like This:

 

^ custom boom testing the limits of a harbor freight hydrualic cylinder?

 

^^^This!!

 

You know it! Only and extra ~35% load, I imagine the FOS on the hoist is higer thatn 1.35 but it is HF

I need to extend the legs also, it just start to tip over if you lift the engine with the transmission attached

 

Matt your weird boom crosstie thing ... I have no idea what that even is. I guess it'd have to be a cherry picker, though.

Seems the Spohn and UMI solid mounts use the factory clamshell. That makes it quite a bit simpler. This is definitely on the list when I do my strut mount upgrades.

 

Wow Matt.That's pretty cool.Nice clean engine compartment.Good work there. LOL and if all else fails,you got that BMFH right there too.

 

it's known as an "engine support bar" and is widely used in the FWD world to hold engines up when R&Ring transmissions or front subframes. i picked it up off of craigslist up here from a short old hobbit-ish man that was pretty scary in a sketch boon-dock type area in norther MD two days after Thanksgiving for $35. New, that tool is over 200smacks. there are other bars available that don't have the nifty come-along on top that will work just as well for cheaper. i used this while swapping the kmember.

FWIW, the moroso mounts take up a bunch less real-estate than the UMI/spohn mounts.

gary, yeah, not afraid to use the BFH in the event the old gal doesn't play well

 

My comment about solid mounts is it is all related to how hard(torque) you're hitting the car with.I've chased the theory of your only as good as the weakest link.BBC car added solid mounts and drag raced the car and it broke bell-housings and tail shaft mounts.Then solid mount for the trans and it diffidently broke bell-housings.Added a front motor plate and mid plate and had to go back to a poly trans mount to soften the blow.Car had frame ties already.Had to add a limiter to control forward and back of the engine/trans.All along the car had been twisting just abit.Back-hafted the car with a 8 point and the flex on the front-end got worst.The car ended up being a full tube car to solve all these problems.I didn't include rear-end/suspension updates to solve any issues with that.

Bottom line.It is true your only as good as the weakest link.

 

I've always been told never run a solid trans mount.

 

i've followed this rule too. the th400 we picked up for my cousins car had one on it. i threw it in the trash before the trans went under the car so there was no temptation to ever use it, lol!

 

fwiw, the moroso mounts are BEAST. i put them in my first camaro back in 2003. i wrecked that car and it twisted the subfram BAD. the motor side of the mounts were bent, but not broken. the kmember side were intact. i reused them actually on my next car...then again on my current car when i was still Gen1. just ordered new engine side when it was time to transfer the motor over.

 

I did something like that to swap a fuel pump on a full size chevy tuck (too lift the bed off the frame)... word of advice, extend the legs before the thing flips over on you, or add a big counter weight on the other side... we had a few hairy moments with ours that really surprised us...

 

Okay so Ive been reading about how awful a job this is... but it seems like most people are trying to do it without removing the control arms. Will removing the control arms make this significantly easier? Or is it still a massive pain in the rear?

Im thinking it might be a good time to do it when I put some new strut mounts in the car.

 

yeah it will try to flip on occasion and that is a solid lead bar on the back side, it helps quite a bit

it is easier with the a-arms out

 

Getting to the bolts without removing the A-arms is damn near impossible. I gave up and had a shop do it for a little over $100 which was well worth it. I put the solid Moroso mounts in and there is much more vibration than ever before. Just turn up the music and forget those vibrations. The vibrations are worst when first warming up the car. After that its not too bad, but definitely more vibration than the stock mounts. If I had to do it again I'd use a poly or rubber mount for sure.

 

I know this is an old thread, but I just installed the Jegs brand solid mounts on my 86 Z28. I can get one bolt in, and the other side isn't even close. Had anyone else had this issue? Anyone have any ideas?

 

I'd try loosening ALL the bolts; jacking the motor up on the side that won't go in; and trying again.

Hopefully the block won't break when you tighten them back. That being the single most frequently reported minor inconvenience experienced with solid motor mounts. Just a pesky detail though. If ya just GOTTA have em, ya accepts what comes with em.

 

The stock mounts squished up with my new engine/waaaay more torque, and I guess I should have tried poly. These just seemed like a good idea at the time. Thanks for the reply. I'm pretty handy with a welder. I might do some measuring and shorten these up. What has me puzzled, is that the stock mounts (engine side) are like 3/8" different from one side to the other, which is about how far I'm off. Is this normal on 3rd gens? I'll include pics of the factory mounts...

 

They are side-specific...

 

Been a while since I held some of the Moroso’s in my hands but do they come stamped LH and RH specific as well? For some reason my brain is recalling that on them somewhere.

 

Just get poly inserts. They work really well. They are very stiff.

GD

 

Mine didn't say LH and RH. I had to go by the numbers stamped on them. Somewhere here, there is a thread where someone listed the numbers for which side goes where...