Billet Engine Mounts.

[Nobimmer 694]

My motor mounts and gearbox mounts are shot in the E30. Need to replace them tommorow and am having no luck finding any Urethane replacements.

Would I be able to chuck some billet alloy/steel on a lathe and spin up some to the same shape without running into any problems?

Looks like a fairly basic job without too much work.

Any advantages/disadvantages?

Its for a race car/track hack if that makes any difference.

Cheers

Ashkan

[*Glenn* 854]

My motor mounts and gearbox mounts are shot in the E30. Need to replace them tommorow and am having no luck finding any Urethane replacements.

Would I be able to chuck some billet alloy/steel on a lathe and spin up some to the same shape without running into any problems?

Looks like a fairly basic job without too much work.

Any advantages/disadvantages?

Its for a race car/track hack if that makes any difference.

Cheers

Ashkan

I, personaly wouldn't fit solid mounts in a car. Just use genuine ones in the mean time untill you can get Urethane ones from overseas

Edited July 7, 2009 by *Glenn*

[Mattzy 0]

IMO I'd run Urethane's for the engine and box and alloy subframe lock collars for the rear subframe..

/Edit - If you wanna go DIY, I've seen a few articles on making your own Urethane mounts which could be worth a read. Will see if I can dig one up for ya.

- Something like this:

http://www.nicoclub.com/articles.php?id=215490

Edited July 7, 2009 by Mattzy

[DRTDVL 0]

My motor mounts and gearbox mounts are shot in the E30. Need to replace them tommorow and am having no luck finding any Urethane replacements.

Cheers

Ashkan

What about sending the mounts to Autolign to get them re-made in Urethane?

I had new control arm bushes made like that... took 2 days... 

[Nobimmer 694]

Sweet, have done a bit more research and it seems almost everything would need to be solid mounted or nothing solid mounted.

Will leave the standard ones in there for now, until I can get some made up somewhere- possible group buy?

[|ncary 0]

From what I've read you can get away with solid engine mounts no worries (I'm going to put mine in today (delrin however), will let you know what it's like) . But not even track guys run solid gearbox mounts, that's where all the noise and vibration comes from.

[OLLIE 26]

bought my urethane mounts from ireland engineering - they are good.

[|ncary 0]

Just put my very solid mounts in, review >here<!

[Nobimmer 694]

How much they set you back? Are they steel or urethane?

[JiB 0]

bought my urethane mounts from ireland engineering - they are good.

I also.

Have wondered about turning some aluminium with a urethane sandwiche with an allthread holding it together?. Would be a fairly simple job on the lathe + drill.

[ashy_aye 3]

i had some solid engine mounts bolted to the standard alloy engine mount arms, and ended up snapping both alloy arms off. id definatly go for urethane

[lounit 0]

i had some solid engine mounts bolted to the standard alloy engine mount arms, and ended up snapping both alloy arms off. id definatly go for urethane

yep the more solid the beater id say....factory mounts dont realy hack it when the power button is on.

[|ncary 0]

How much they set you back? Are they steel or urethane?

It's Delrin, as the post says, rated on the hardness scale at 75D.

http://www.akgmotorsport.com/e30products.html

[Apex Effects 3]

i vote take ya mounts to autolign an get them to send em to the nolatane guy(what i did) an he will make a mold. Cut the rubber mount off an replace it with the newly molded nolatane one. i payed 90 a side for my nissan ones an e30 ones look simpler so should be a quick cheap job

[|ncary 0]

Would even need to go that far. Just need a cylindrical bit of material, about 60mm diamater, 40mm high and with a hole drilled in the centre that's slightly bigger than a 17mm bolt shaft. Done.

[tibbs.james 1]

For my 300zx

I bought a 30cm piece of Automotive grade Red Urethane rod

3" diameter

Cut to length in a band Saw

Drilled out to accommodate a steel sleeve, + high tensile bolt and lock nuts

problem solved.

30cm of poly rod was $98 from a plastics specialist place and of course you get to keep the rest for other projects & use what you need.

edit > my E30 engine mounts are almost Identical to the ones i made for the ZX

Edited July 8, 2009 by Jimmy

[Nobimmer 694]

Got any left over? Say 10cm worth haha.

[tibbs.james 1]

Forrest got the last 40mm

I bought mine from "Mulford Plastics" in Chch

Look up the phone book for suppliers of engineering plastics. 30cm was the smallest length they would do for me, i had to ask nicely as well

( not being a trade customer wanting kms of the stuff )

[Nobimmer 694]

Oh ok sweet. Could always get a few made up. Will have a hunt round tommorow and see how it goes.

Cheers for the help fullahs

[Nobimmer 694]

Ok so was bored tonight while waiting for some parts to arrive so I thought I'd try make some rough mounts.

Got the Gbox mounts done but didnt have enough steel left to make engine ones.

Will throw em in and see what happens. Can always swap em round later.

Have no camera hence no pics- should really start a project thread for that matter.

[Guest FrantiC]

The gearbox mounting "ears", if you like, are not very strong. I wouldn't suggest trying the solid gearbox mounts at the risk of snapping them off TBH. Most people go with solid engine mounts and OEM trans..

I have OEM trans mounts and solid urethane engine mounts, which I bought of someone here who bought them for another model car but were found to be the same dimensions as e30 mounts..

Solid engine mounts definitley a good difference and don't have to worry about ripping/sagging mounts..

Edited July 9, 2009 by FrantiC

[brentf 0]

Hey there,

Just reading your thread and i have some red urethane in stock and could machine them if you like? or i even have acetal(POM) in stock if you want that. I machine plastics as a job so would be easy for me to spin a couple up for you. The urethane i I have Im not to sure of what hardess it is i can test it with our hardness tester and let you know later. You can infact bet different grade hardnesses of urethane. Usually the ones you get from mulford or dotmar is called LURETHANE and is very soft maybe 70 shore A and is very hard to machine and get a nice finish on you need quite sharp tips and a vacumm helps to keep the swarf away. Drilling urethane does not leave a very nice finish on the inside but as it is a engine mount it shouldn't worry it to much. I can get urethane which is 95 shore A or 54 or 58 Shore D Which is quite solid for a urethane as acetal is 75D which is classed as a plastic.

Obvoiusly the ones i make will need a bolt or stud through the center of them. I mean if autolign can get nolathane moulded on to you standard engine mounts then that is another good option. But the engine mounts i have seen off and E30 from memory are like two flat plates of steel with bolts on them with a rubber sandwiched in between and the ones i have seen usually break through inbetween the steel and the rubber. Having the bolt/stud go right through will solve this issue but please correct me if i'm wrong i havent tested any to see the difference.

I was thinking of making some engine mounts for my race car but as it is for the E30 class i cant run them. But will be looking at making Acetal bushes for everywhere else lower cotrol arms etc etc at a later stage.

If your interested for the engine mounts please just PM me and we can arrange something.

Sorry for hijaking the thread.

Thanks Brent

[Nobimmer 694]

The mounts were an epic fail. Just put the engine ones in and it didnt really sit too nice and looked naff.

Brent, how muchy?

[brentf 0]

Will work out a price on Monday. But the Acetal will be cheaper than the polyurethane. But will give you a price for both.

What sizes would you want them made to?

[Nobimmer 694]

Just the size of a standard E30 engine mount?

Could guinea pig them for ya as I'm sure there would be a few other people keen to get some made if they are decent