Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I believe that several Elan owners have improved the standard engine mounts by adding some form of rubberised sealant to the upper gap area. Can anyone tell me what product works well for this and where to buy it in the UK?

I have purchased engine mounts that were filled up more than original ones and sold as heavy duty mounts, and I believe that the rubber was vulcanized in one shot , not added to regular mounts. Rubber quality (stiffness, strength etc) certainly has a major role to play in the durability of such parts (metal preparation as well ...)

I worked in the rubber industry for all my active life and I can say that the connection between rubber and steeel is a difficult process . The steel needs to be sandblast , then special " glue " must be put on the metal ( in France , it was called chemlock ) in 2 layers , wait for drying , then the steel is put in the mould and the rubber is injected and cured several minutes .I think the actual production does not goal the oEM requirements of the time . Today , the engine supports works no more in " cizellation " mode ; they work in compression mode ; the liaison rubber/steel in far less stressed , and the design of these parts is far more sophistiqued fo better performance .

I bought some with the void already filled with what looks and feels like normal silicone sealant/filler; I'm not certain where I got them but I think these were the "uprated" mounts from Tony Thompson.

Paddy

Hi all
This works for me when driving normally the rubber absorbs the vibrations when driven hard the bolt takes the load
this is a standard Anglia mount in my 266hp Elan Sprint.
I have tried the so say reinforced mounts where the space has been filled in with bits of rubber and silicon and also
the Kelvedon mounts and found them too harsh

Tony

I suppose that with some plastic washers its a reasonable compromise, I like the fact that it would retain the engine in the event of a crash. Metal to metal on full torque reaction is not desirable for chassis longevity and NVH although as you say your set up is less harsh than the competition mounts.

Caterhams always used A35 mountings, dont know if they still do, they are nice and stiff but any o?l gets on them and they turn to mush and the engine will carry on in a straight line when you turn into a corner

I had special metal plates for competition that would restrain the engine when, not if, the mounts let go.

I was talking to a fellow Elan owner last weekend about engine mounts. He had what I thought was quite a good idea. Cut up an old engine mount or possibly use a bubber exhaust mount bobbin and ram the rubber into the upper void of the engine mount. This seems a good solution because it stops the engine dropping very far if the mount totally fails and also it shouldn't have too much effect on stiffening up the mount and passing on vibration to the metal chassis pick up point. I think I will try this mod during the winter months.

Love to see the 266hp sprint and hear the story
James

William2 wrote:I believe that several Elan owners have improved the standard engine mounts by adding some form of rubberised sealant to the upper gap area. Can anyone tell me what product works well for this and where to buy it in the UK?

SJ Sportcars sell uprated mounts that have the gap filled in. They do not look like standard mounts that have had silicone added afterwards but look like they were manufactured that way. I fitted one on Sunday (carb side), and I'll see if it's any harsher (still got to put the carbs and starter motor back on). It certainly wasn't a 30 minute job as all the bolts were seized. Looking at the collapsed mount it has F082 embossed in it, which means it's probably an original Ford part that's been on there for at least 30 years!

Rob.