Rear gearbox mount - Alternative parts/suppliers

M

Madalicesdad

New Member
I need to replace the rear gearbox mount on my V8 Auto (BW65 box). As far as I remember it's only a couple of rubber/metal bushes, yet Wadhams want £35 + VAT/del for it!
Does anyone know if they are common with other cars so I can shop around?

Mike
 
are they like the 2 litre tc??which has a bar that goes from side to side through the box with 1 large bushe on the box and little bushes on each side....if its the little bushes I used mini shock absorber bushes cut down a little to fit.much cheaper than the proper ones.
 
No they're not, they are rubber bobbins with studs on each side (a bit like the rear exhaust mount on older Minis, but bigger).
Ray Weekley has none as his supplier has discontinued them, so I'm looking for inspiration!

RS stock a lot of anti-vibration mounts that may be suitable but unfortunately I'm going to have to take the old ones off to measure them before I can buy new ones.

Mike
 
Wonder if MGBV8 engine mounts (or gearbox mounts) might to - might be worth contacting MGOC with some details... they have big operation and might be able to help
 
I got a pair from Weekleys last year so looks like I was lucky. They were around £16 all in if I remember rightly. £40+ seems mightly excessive for 2 fairly modest cotton reel mounts though the value for money aspect of particular suppliers has been gone into before on the Forum. A local factor to me said he had a selection of c/r mounts. I'll have to pop in & see what he's got. I didn't take any measurements when I fitted mine so can you post them when you have taken them?
In case anyone doesn't know, the originals only had a bolt on 1 side as they were bonded directly to the triangular metal mount which you have to drill holes in to fit the 2 bolt replacments. Fairly straightforward.
 
I took the old mount off - as you say it is a triangular job with bonded rubbers. For the record the rubber bits (allowing for 30 years of distortion) are approx 40mm dia and 35 mm long and seem to carry the number Metalastic 17/1297. RS part number 415-0749 (£2.99 +VAT from www.rswww.com) would have matched exactly but they had none in stock at the local trade counter and wanted £5 to deliver, so I looked elsewhere.

The local motor factors had Lancer Products part number LEM1364 which apparently is a Mini gearbox mount. It's smaller (approx 35mm dia) and has a smaller thread dia (5/16th UNF) but it's the right length. Cost £3 each.

Measure the position of the centreline of the old rubber and cut it off with a sharp knife. Drill holes where the centres of the rubber bits used to be and fasten the new mounts with a nyloc nut. Use a penny washer to spread the load when mounting it to the slot on the body mounted bracket.

Because it's a smaller bit of rubber than original it may not last for another 30 years, but even so I'm mobile again for £6! :D

Mike

PS If anyone finds an alternative mount of the right diameter and length and at a reasonable price, it would be useful to know in case my solution isn't up to it!
 
£40.00 ish may seem a lot for a relatively modest part, but the following points must be raised:
1. Who will supply any P6 specific spares if the suppliers have been driven out of business?
2. Who else will have the business nerve to start supplying us with P6 bits?
3. The right part should last 30 years +.
4. The correct part fits well & does what it should (I've changed mine, so I speak from experience).
5. £40 won't get you a tank of petrol.
6. General underlying feeling of satisfaction that your car is 'right'.

Nobody wants to be 'ripped off', but we must consider that the VALUE (monetary & non-monetary) of an item is generally higher than the COST of its components.

Please note that I have no connection whatsoever with any supplier.

Cheers,

Phil.
 
Phil,
Good point, but I'm as tight as a sharks a**e when it comes to spending money, especially if there's a cheaper but equally suitable alternative :)! Besides which the solution came from a well respected Rover supplier and until I got the bit off, I assumed the rubber bobbins were part of the original design. £40 for what I believed to be two rubber blocks is steep no matter how philanthropic you are! In this case, the bits were available on a Friday afternoon from a local independent car shop from whom I get bits for all my cars, partially to avoid Halfrauds and main dealers driving them out of business. Same aim, different target.

You may get satisfaction from your car 'being right', and no doubt if mine was concours I might feel the same way, but it's not (and far from it!). My aim is to drive something interesting and different as cheaply* as possible and that's where I get my satisfaction. *don't mention fuel bills! What's more, having in the past spent good money on the Rover for remanufactured parts that don't fit properly, the cheaper non-standard fixes and work-arounds are sometimes better value, work better and consequently (IMO) more satisfying.

Let's agree to differ!

Unfortunately the £30 I've saved now has to be spent on new wiper arms and blades for my Mini to replace the ones snapped off last night by some scrotes on the way back from the pub :(

Regards Mike
 
I'm inclined to agree. My Rover has to stand in line behind mortgages , council tax, income tax gas , electric, food bills etc etc. If a commonly available part is a good and safe substitute , what's wrong with that ?. There's plenty of "unique " parts for the specialists to focus on

Mike , are you implying your bobbins didn't fit ?

Dave
 
Dave, Not at all, they fit and work perfectly. I wish I'd done it years ago! What's more, nothing I've done is irreversible, and even if they last only 5 years, IMHO they're better value than the real thing that lasts 30!

Don't get me wrong about remanufactured parts; there is a need for genuinely specialist bits eg body panels, exhausts etc, and Wadhams et al should be applauded and suported for supplying them. But if there's a suitable work around, I (and probably others) would like to know!

At least if you find yourself with a knackered gearbox mount and you need the car ASAP, you now know there is a cheap (reversible) fix using bits from the local motor factors. Alternatively you can order a genuine mount from JRW and wait for it to be delivered. It's horses for courses. Perhaps we should start a new topic of cheap fixes to keep your car on the road?

Just to put the cat amongst the pigeons, if there is an suitable solution using BL/Rover OEM parts, is it really a specialist bit that justifies remanufacture? :)

Mike
 
I too get more personal satisfaction adapting something to do a job than paying big bucks for the "right" part. As long as it's not botched & unsafe (or unsightly) in any way of course, though the adaptations tend to be small things anyway. Thats what DIY motoring used to be all about in the old days.
 
Fair points, gentlemen.

I must admit I was getting worked up about 'value over cost'. The number of times I hear people complain about the cost of something that is 'only such & such' or 'only took 30 minutes to do', etc. They don't appreciate that they are buying expertise or the use of special tooling & skills, rather than an hourly rate or the basic components. This is what I was referring to about the special part.

Besides, I'm in a less grumpy mood now as my old faithful P6 has just gone straight through its MOT. 35 years young!

Regards,

Phil. :)
 
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