Engine mount question

[bnam2]

The early spider engine mount seems to be a multipart assy with a spring in the middle of the rubber mount. The later seems to be solid rubber - I piece. Are they interchangeable? Which is better for a 1608?

THanks!

[davedecker4]

Yes.
Yes.
The early one.
It depends if you want to drop the engine down lower to make more room for something.

[bnam2]

Thanks Dave!

Is the earlier one shorter? The later is 57mm according to one site.

[fp55scca]

--Byas, I believe the early (accordion) one is slightly shorter, but the later solid one is superior. You can also substitute a Volvo one that is shorter than the Fiat solid one, and a little more firm than the Fiat OEM one. This is especially useful for cars configured with mechanical throttle linkages that are plagued by the motor rocking.

[rridge]

Byas, you will find the height dimensions of various solid engine mounts in the thread below. Two closely related topics are the choices of engine mount brackets and transmission mounts. Given the popularity of swapping newer engines in older Fiats, you can imagine how many threads on these topics have been generated on this site over the years.
https://www.mirafiori.com/forum/viewtop ... nt#p151821

[davedecker4]

I thought newer style was shorter than the one for early cars? This would enable fitting that taller engine under the hood.

[whitehause]

I thought newer style was shorter than the one for early cars? This would enable fitting that taller engine under the hood.

I think they also have 5mm spacers welded on the top mounting area of the late cross members to lower the cross member as well.

[friedman]

Ah, the engine mount study. There was a period when official Fiat replacement mounts were nothing more than rock hard mounts and would make even the smoothest running TC engine fell like a buzz bomb. This was back ten years or so when everything rubber for Fiats was questionable or downright terrible. Richard put me on to the Volvo mounts and I rushed to my local Volvo dealer and picked up a pair for my then current spider and was completely happy with them. They are to this day my go to replacement mounts.

The nice thing about shorter mounts is you can shim them to whatever thickness you want. I am not a fan of the early coil spring mounts only because they are more prone to falling apart.

[bnam2]

What's the volvo part number I should look for if I wanted to get them? Are the newer production Fiat mounts of better quality or still not great?

[rridge]

The OEM part number for a Volvo 240 motor mount is 274111. OEM Fiat 124 motor mounts have not been available in decades. Aftermarket motor mounts for both Volvo and Fiat vary in dimension and stiffness from maker to maker and from year to year but are much cheaper than Volvo OEM. Scan-Tech is one of the better aftermarket brands for Volvo motor mounts.