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Motor Mount Install
It's getting really close to install time and I've decided to start installing some miscellaneous things before the big event. I decided to start installing my Energy Suspension motor mount inserts since this is something that I could get out of the way and ultimately save time with. There are two inserts that work with the existing stock mounts, the transmission mount and the rear crossmember mount. The front dogbone mount and the large passenger side mount actually require complete removal of the stock inserts. I started with the front dogbone mount since it is probably the easiest. Here's the old mount:
The stock inserts were deteriorated and just falling apart.
Side-by-side comparison of the old and new inserts.
Now, the smaller insert was easy to install by hand, but the larger needed a press of some sort. Since I don't have a bench vise or a press, I had to innovate. My floor jack, a 2x4, and the frame rail of my wife's Xterra made the perfect press for squeezing the larger insert into the mount bracket! Ghetto innovation at its finest!
The final product:
Anti-seize lubricant comes in very handy when doing this.
Now onto the passenger side mount. This is a big daddy mount and requires a bit more than I had available at home.
I took a trip to a local auto repair shop and had one of the technicians there press the old insert out of the mount. $20 and about an hour later, I was ready to press the Energy Suspension insert in. This took a little playing around with the bench vise. It took me a couple of times to get the proper angle and alignment, but after about 10 minutes I had the new insert pressed in.
All ready to go now!