Solid engine mounts.

[Spac]

The Volvo killed the rubber engine mounts about halfway through SS1 on the weekend, even though they were supported with (tight) chains. They are fundamentally a bad design for rallying - the mounts are low on the engine so they have a lot more torque to deal with.

they're the typical old-style design engine mount - two studs sticking out of steel plates bonded to a block of rubber (similar to old Mazda, Cortina, etc etc). The catch is that the engine side of the mount threads directly into the bracket that bolts to the motor - no nut - so the thread must be 7/16" UNC.

Now, I've thought about doing the World Cup Escort style of engine mounts, but time is against me.

So... Can anyone forsee a problem with replacing the original mount with a block of nylon and a bolt that runs through the cross-member, through the nylon and into the mount on the block?
I know vibration will increase, any other dramas?

[Marcus]

As far as I am aware, no, it'll be fine as long as the nylon is tough enough. Something I need to consider after ripping another rubber engine mount in half, even with the lack of real hp the Galant has.

[Woolly]

Engine mounts should be ideally in line with a circle with the crank as the centre, to resist torque. The art is to determine the balance between support (the weight of the engine) and the amount of torque produced.

Too low and the engine will flip itself sideways into the strut tower, too high, and the rubber will shear and drop the engine onto the crossmember.

The Escort mounts were too high, hence the World Cup set-up, where the mounts were just a standard rubber Silentbloc, a steel tube inner and outer. It held the engine where it should be, but at the price of lot of vibes.

Moons ago I made a semi-replica of the Cup crossmember, but used Holden Torana XU1 mounts, which have captive lugs that limit movement (and the engine falling out in the case of a rollover). It was used in the Ron Lawton Escort, without failure.

Woolly

[Ben Wilson]

I know that Volvo engines are tough, but any tension load (or chance of it) on cast iron is a really bad idea.

With the loads that the car is going to take, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see you pull a chunk out of the side of the block with a setup like that.

[Raynman]

Try and get in touch with Paul McLaughlin in Victoria. I think he has a workshop in Geelong.

He has been rallying an old volvo for years so he would have an idea - you might just have gotten unlucky.

Dave G should know how to get in contact with him

[Spac]

Ben, The load's gotta go somewhere, regardless of the type of engine mounts.... ?

Raynman, good idea - I've got his contact details somewhere. Not just unlucky -this is the second set I killed within 50kms of hard driving, and the second set were in excellent condition when they went into the car...


I'm pretty sure the 144s were homologated/able to be optioned with an extra stay from the top of the block or cylinder head to the inner guard, but not so sure if it applies to the 164.

I'm also trying to upload photos, but the 'talk to the phone software' is having a hissy fit.

[jamar]

Spac,

I did the "banyard spec" thing and ran a large bolt through my engine mounts - it totally ****s me when the thing is off noise (soundds like it's gonna shake itself apart) - I"m thinking going back to standard mountds with some kind of chain to restrict excessive movement..

[Ben Wilson]

Originally Posted by Spac

Ben, The load's gotta go somewhere, regardless of the type of engine mounts.... ?

Yeah, but solid mounts can transmit a sudden shock loading while rubber mounts slow things down. If you still believe that the loads are the same, hit yourself on the foot with a hammer and then a rubber mallet and tell me which hurts more

[Spac]

From the bottom
and from the top

Yes, the chain was tight before the mounts died and the engine shifted over.

[Ben Wilson]

How good is your gearbox mount?

Could the whole engine/gearbox have shifted forwards from a hit on a gutter and torn the mounts then?

[gumbootracing]

we ran solid mounts on the golf for a while but the vibration resulted in fractures in and around the top mount in our case not a good idea
cheers Trevor

[HoonBoy]

I did the solid mount thing on a road car to stop it breaking mounts, it lasted around the block, the vibration was intense!

Before that, I replaced the standard rubber mounts with eurothane mounts and there was very little NVH issues from stock, but the engine didn't move anywhere near as much. It would rip tears around the metal parts of the engine mounts and bend bits, but the mounts didn't break...

What would be the next weakest link if the rubber mounts didn't break?

[fro]

Originally Posted by jamar

I did the "banyard spec" thing and ran a large bolt through my engine mounts - it totally ****s me when the thing is off noise (soundds like it's gonna shake itself apart) - I"m thinking going back to standard mountds with some kind of chain to restrict excessive movement..

Interesting. I've got a bolt through the left-hand engine mount (the side under tension), and a standard one on the right (the side under compression). I've not noticed any additional vibration over the standard engine mounts.

Might be worth a try?

[Matt Dyne]

Marc's Camira is virtually solid mounted and the vibration through the car is horrific...also, the cracks that have appeared on the chassis rail where the mounts attach to the body are very obvious.

I'm a vote against solid mounting for that reason.

Matt

[DaveTrees]

I actually replaced my engine mounts in the 144 last night, after one failed on the way home from work. Discovered that the other one (hidden under the exhaust side) had been broken for a while .....

Anyway - 6 cyl TC/TD Ford Cortina mounts are a direct replacement for Volvo 164 mounts (which are stronger than 140 ones, but interchangeable) and are way cheaper than the genuine Volvo ones.

A urethane version is available - Kelpro part number MT8156N. Cost about $30 each. The rubber ones (whatever the Mackay part number is) are about $25 each ... way cheaper than the genuine Volvo item which are about $65 !!

I actually was very lucky .... with the sump sitting on the crossmember, the bottom of the fan is about 2mm from hitting the swaybar


I know that both Paul McL and Russell Thorpe run an engine brace in theor 140s ... in the early cars they help stop the metre-long gearstick from flopping about & breaking your kneecaps ! I plan to put one in mine sometime. They don't appear in the papers for the 144/142 ... but are they actually a homologation/eligibility issue anyway ?