3b s2 coupe resurrection

[andy10v]

Having top mount thoughts again, pro mounts sound nice, but are no longer available, but what about DIY?



I assume a spherical bearing is pressed in into the original mount, and then an alloy reducer for the shock.

Spherical bearing size is going to be determined by what the mount can be machined to take (minimal), or what a bearing can be reduced by to fit the mount (minimal I would have thought?)

Would it be ok to make a sleeve that presses into the mount, and the bearing pressed into that?

I assume you want the biggest bearing for strength?







A spherical is also going to be a lot taller, I assume this is why the Mance/Vap mounts have the metal lock nut?



Also how suitable are spherical bearings for this application? The mance/vap mounts seem to hold up fine? But I have read that spherical bearings are not really for turning back and forth (eg steering)

[andy10v]

Nice little box of upgrades there mate
Surprised the gunk did so well, when I used some a few years back it was less effective than fairy liquid
If you still need a coolant nipple I have a couple metal ones here, FOC for you mate

Yup, just thinking I really would like to be putting it back together, and stop taking it apart Hopefully once the engine is done the process will reverse

I think I have a 7A metal one I am hoping to find and clean up, if it fails to materialize, or is full of holes I will give you a shout, thanks for the offer.

[andy10v]

Also if a spherical bearing is fitted is there anything to prevent drilling the shell and bolting the mount in solid?

[Error404]

Yeah I keep thinking that same... but then "while its all in bits....." syndrome strikes again

[andy10v]

Aye, the steering rack is the next quandary, its a very easy time to fit an ABY rack, and its only another afternoon.......

Where have you got to with the eternal top mount quandary?

[newsh]

Do the ABY rack if you have one handy, it's a big improvement

[andy10v]

I can get Aurora spherical PTFE lined with

OD---ID---Height
35---20---16
42---25---20

I can get a cheapo ebay bearing for £5, so might get one for mock up and see what happens.

[newsh]

Is the battery tray gone yet?

[andy10v]

No, I will add it to my list, I do have an ABY battery box and loom though.

You lot just makes things worse

[Error404]

battery tray is an easy one!

Topmounts I am trying to ignore for now
I have a pair of Leon Cupra R mounts I am planning to modify to make them work - they are much taller though so only suitable for use with coilovers.

[martinws]

Good work so far Andy, I cant wait till this is finished. I think just chop the strut tops out and find an old Scooby in the scrappy and chop them out and perform 'the old switcharoo' then there are hundreds of tried and tested adjustable top mount setups.

[andy10v]

That is the other option, no going back then

I would like to keep some kind of cushioning though, my dad suggested machining a set of compbrake ones down slightly, and installing poly or nylon ring on the top.

I quite like what lance did with the ford? ones.

http://www.s2forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64336&highlight=avant&page=4

[andy10v]

Found a picture of the bottom of a set of pro mounts



And some info

The spherical bearings are held captive to the mount under-side via a Polyamide hot-melt adhesive just to keep them together during shipping/handling. Much the same way many Sachs OEM mounts come oft-times with the thrust bearing separate from the mount. Once a Pro-Mount is installed its the captive nut at the top of the strut assembly keeps constant pressure on the mount/bearing assembly tightly against the upper spring perch and the struts upper threaded shaft and strut "shoulder" immediately below it. In fact the only way I can conceive the spherical bearing separating from the mount is "if" that nut were to loosen and the car driven that way for "X" amount of miles. As long as the cupped washer, Pro-Mount assembly, upper spring perch and strut tower shulder are properly torqued to a solid "stack assembly" separation cannot occur.

You cannot swap the spherical bearing from a Pro-Mount into an OEM strut mount as the Pro-Mounts are machined with a larger thru-bore that features a specific taper at the top side of the bore to allow the threaded strut shaft, internal spherical bearing sleeve, bearing and the cupped washer to deflect axially/radially/orbitally. Trying to fit that spherical bearing into an OEM Sachs/Boge strut mount is a recipe for disaster as it will seize the bearing and likely snap the threaded stems off the strut near their base the first time the steering wheel is turned under load, as when parked and turning the steering wheel left or right.

[andy10v]

Got a goody box from mac2226, rods and ARP head studs (the larger lh washer is an OEM one cut off an oem bolt)



Spent a couple of hours on the engine tonight







Kind of hard to see from a phone picture, but the hone marks are still clearly visibly, and once I wiped the carbon off there is no discernible lip when you drag your fingernail up



So far everything is looking in good condition.

[K Simmonds]

These old VAG engines are excellent when it comes to bore ware, my old 240K mile+ 10V engine is much the same a your motor, no obvious lip and the honing marks are still clearly visible. I have a 6A four pot that I'm using in my Golf that's also much the same, I know that had quite a hard life and covered over 200K. I expect the bore's on both are ever so slightly oval but it can't be by much as the honing marks are uniform to the naked eye.

What Turbo are you planning on using on your engine once it's built up Andy?