Replacement engine mounts > Beware!

[DirtyLarry]

Has anybody bought clamshell type engine mounts lately? Man, there terrible quality! Last year I bought a new set from Napa thinking they would be “good” being they came from Napa instead of a dime store part house like AutoZone. Meh, they didn’t last a year. I first started noticing the fan was rubbing the shroud this summer on the desert trip when flexed hard. Then it started doing it more and more until I crawled under it to find both new mounts caved in pushing the 8.1L oil pan right into the ORD cross member! I got lucky it didn’t rub through the pan. I am sure 600 lb ft of torque 8.1L didn’t help those mounts any but seriously, they shouldn’t have gone to crap that quickly being they were supposed to be big block mounts.

That all said, if you need a set of engine mounts I recommend getting a set of Energy Suspension inserts and reusing the original metal shells as the aftermarket shells are paper thin garbage. I had to go to the salvage yard to grab a set of original GM mounts to use with the Energy Suspension inserts.

Ouch!




Junk Napa mounts (I had already taken the nut off before I thought about taking a picture)


OEM shells with Energy Suspension inserts vs. Napa big block mount


Much better! To my surprise I don’t feel any engine vibration as you would expect from a Polyurethane mount.


Got plenty of room now.


Poor oil pan has some scars on it now. Luckily it didn’t cause a crack or leak.