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Another way to reinforce Mk1 strut mounts

21K views 72 replies 24 participants last post by  Hoffa 
#1 · (Edited)
I picked this trick up in the Scirocco forums. It serves the same purpose as adding a bead of 3M Window Weld Urethane to the underside of the strut mount to keep the rubber from collapsing, a known problem with "all" aftermarket mounts.

Look here:

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7541657-34-years-ago-to-the-day-January-9-1982/page4

Basically a high quality exhaust hanger for Opels, available here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Goma-de-Es...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Edit 07/28/2020, the link is dead, try this instead: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Goma-de-Es...527617?hash=item59272fb641:g:ZV0AAOSwQYZWxHTJ

Adavantages:
1) Dirt cheap, I bought enough for 5 cars from Europe for half the cost of one tube of Urethane.
2) No waste. The rest of the tube of urethane is wasted unless you have the energy to do all of your cars in one day (I do not)
3) No curing time, the parts are immediately and fully serviceable.
4) The gap stays super tight, better than Urethane.

I don't know if other hangers from the US would work, but the ones in the link fit perfectly (albeit hard to get in), and road impacts will seat them better and better over time.
 
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#62 ·
How many miles do you estimate on the reinforced mounts?
 
#4 ·
What are the symptoms of a failed strut mount? Is it just clunking over bumps? I haven’t noticed that but the other day I was lifting my car on a two post lift with the hood up and saw the rubber portion that sticks through the center seemed to get shorter as load was removed (car being raised) and taller when it was lowered back down.

I didn’t measure but I would guess that it looked as though they changed by a little less than a centimeter. Is this normal or are my mounts bad?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#6 ·
What are the symptoms of a failed strut mount? Is it just clunking over bumps? I haven’t noticed that but the other day I was lifting my car on a two post lift with the hood up and saw the rubber portion that sticks through the center seemed to get shorter as load was removed (car being raised) and taller when it was lowered back down.

I didn’t measure but I would guess that it looked as though they changed by a little less than a centimeter. Is this normal or are my mounts bad?
from the top it appears as a giant gap between the top of the strut and the mount
normally bulging out of the black part of the mount

internally the rubber isnt doing anything since its all seperated from the bearing cup to the mount

clunky or wierd handling behaviors or difficulty turning?



simple good fix adding a thick o-ring below
the urethane method is costly at $25 a tube and messy and a time waster for 2 weeks curing time


i wish i knew about this last time i changed my mounts
 
#12 ·
I bought 6 of the CRP, hangers. The order was drop shipped from the warehouse, and I’m guessing only 2 are CRP. All part numbers match, but there isn’t anything that would elude to manufacturer. The other 4 are light gray, and a bit softer....not sure if this would be beneficial.

Honestly, I only bought them out of curiosity and because they were cheap. I run the early mounts, with Fox bushings. I was curious to see if they could be slipped into them. I didn’t even try...

-Todd
 
#13 ·
I've now done the mod to all five of our A1 cars, here are my initial impressions:

On the GTI and the S1, which are "important" cars, I got new mounts and the rubber ring inserts into the gap with some muscle, but no special skills. Hold the mount upside down in a vice, push one side of the rubber in with a thick screwdriver, pry the other side over the steel lip with the screwdriver, and push the rest of the rubber in. I got mine from the European source in the link and they are are hard, but stretch a lot with no tearing. The weight of the car produces zero gap where we often see it :thumbup:. We'll see how it holds up.

On the one S16V I hadn't urethaned and the Cabby, which are "unimportant", I kept the old collapsed mounts and inserted the rubber. I had to make a squeezing tool to open the lower gap enough but the procedure was otherwise the same. With the cars' weight on the mounts the gap is reduced from 3/8"+ to about 1/8", same result I got with urethane but instant and cheap. I'll see how it holds up.
 
#15 ·
45mm x 69mm x 14mm listed over in one of the Scirocco threads, that's the Opel one listed, hopefully the Mercedes one is the same piece.

It's quite small, and frankly when I first looked at one, I thought there was no way I could even start it into the gap, let alone stretch the rest of it over the steel plate.

But it does fit (it helps to grunt and swear as needed), and boy does it work :thumbup:
 
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#16 ·
I am tempted to try this but at the same time a tube of windshield urethane can be had for around $10-15. Considering how fast many of the modern windshield urethanes set (due to customer impatience and installer malpractice), I have not decided what method to try. It will be interesting to see how this new method holds up.
 
#17 ·
From Wiki:

Adopter category definition:

Innovators: Innovators are willing to take risks, have the highest social status, have financial liquidity, are social and have closest contact to scientific sources and interaction with other innovators. Their risk tolerance allows them to adopt technologies that may ultimately fail. Financial resources help absorb these failures.[41]

Early adopters: These individuals have the highest degree of opinion leadership among the adopter categories. Early adopters have a higher social status, financial liquidity, advanced education and are more socially forward than late adopters. They are more discreet in adoption choices than innovators. They use judicious choice of adoption to help them maintain a central communication position.[42]

Early Majority: They adopt an innovation after a varying degree of time that is significantly longer than the innovators and early adopters. Early Majority have above average social status, contact with early adopters and seldom hold positions of opinion leadership in a system (Rogers 1962, p. 283)

Late Majority: They adopt an innovation after the average participant. These individuals approach an innovation with a high degree of skepticism and after the majority of society has adopted the innovation. Late Majority are typically skeptical about an innovation, have below average social status, little financial liquidity, in contact with others in late majority and early majority and little opinion leadership.

Laggards: They are the last to adopt an innovation. Unlike some of the previous categories, individuals in this category show little to no opinion leadership. These individuals typically have an aversion to change-agents. Laggards typically tend to be focused on "traditions", lowest social status, lowest financial liquidity, oldest among adopters, and in contact with only family and close friends.

The last categories are not flattering but I still use a flip phone and I'm OK with it :p.

In this case, I already have a tube of urethane and I'll keep it for something else. I haven't ruled out using two donuts per mount, especially if I'm modifying a mount that has already failed, but in the Scirocco forum there's favorable long-term follow up even with track use. The urethane, no matter how fast it cures, cannot have the weight of the car on it without some significant delay.
 
#19 ·
As some know, I have tried to install the Continental made mounts and they are much too firm and broke while installing them [in Febi mounts]. Silicone grease is my go to lube for rubber/plastic and all my butcher tricks did not work. Since they broke, I just shoved them in anyway. I seriously doubt if they will work their way out. I installed them in my POS VW pickup with Koni yellows and Autotech lowered springs [bump stops trimmed], we shall see what happens long term. I put around 20k a year on it so it gets a work out.

The dimensions seem to be correct with the Continental's, it just seems the durometer of the rubber is a bit more firm. Since I have not compared with other manufacturers, I'm just guessing.
 
#25 ·
The set I sent back were originally denied. I had to call back a couple times to speak with whoever was dealing with warranty claims. Eventually, I got a new rear set, but not fronts, I forget the actual details, but I think the fronts lost their gas charge and didn’t rebound the same. Koni claimed their dyno testing showed them as still good....

That receipt generator is great!

-Todd
 
#27 ·
I took the caps off my Febi German strut mounts today. They have less than one year and 3k miles on them. The driver side has collapsed already. The passenger is hanging in there. Driver side gets 180lbs of added weight every time I drive. I have not had a passenger that weighs over 50lbs since I installed the new towers. My reaction was to order six of the donuts from Germany through the link in the first post. :laugh:

What mounts to use though? The Mars red Scirocco thread suggests that currently Sachs is best. They are the most expensive available. Worth it?
 
#28 ·
I was also fed up with the Febi strut mounts blowing out in like 6 months. Throwing the alignment off and replacing only to blow out again. So here is what I came up with. It depends if you are using coilovers or lowering springs for this method will not work with large diameter springs. I replaced the upper bushing/mount just for the hell of it and it was still perfect after a whole year.

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?8945601-Front-Strut-Mount-Coilover-Options

Best of Luck!
Patrick
 
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