Fiat Dino Forum (FDF)

Has anybody replaced this recently and noticed the spare offered is tough to assemble?

I bought one a long time ago when I got the car. It fit the X-brace fine, and install was unremarkable. The reproduction replacement I purchased looks fine, but when you go to install, you find out the width of the two steel mounting bars are ~ 1cm wider than X-brace. This makes installation very difficult as you must now compress the rubber with some real force to fit in. Also, when the rubber is so compressed, it does not offer the vibration isolation it should. Also, the bolt holes are a couple of mm off. Easy enough to correct with a round file.

I contacted the supplier, who was kind enough to contact their source, and was told, "That's the only one they make; they have no other complaints."
I'm skeptical my X-brace is unusual. Years ago, when I bought the replacement, it was an original part, and also the only one available.
The original width is ~54mm. The replacement is approximately 64mm. The parts book shows only one mount #4149520 going into X-brace #4149519 with no supersessions.

I had to compress mine in a vise to get it to fit.
I compressed it in the vise enough to get it started into the bracket.
Then I had to finish pressing it into the bracket with the vise.
I wasn't happy doing it this way as I had freshly powder coated the bracket, but I couldn't think of any other way of doing it.
Photos are attached, but not necessarily in order.
I didn't notice any increase in vibration.
Ben

1967 Dino Coupe 2000

Thank you for the response!

I just completed the same experience, including scratching the bejeezus out of my freshly powder-coated X-brace.

I used a vise and a couple of clamps to position it. After tightening the bolts, I tried to address the chips with black touch-up paint. Again, that original mount fit perfect. It would have been a 10-minute job. I spent at least 30 minutes fitting in the new mount.

Maybe this very tight mount will be better in some way ??

We’re all in the same boat so to speak.
I have just installed a new mount that I bought from Superformance a few years ago.
I did it exactly the same way Ben did, in a vice.
Including touching up my newly powder coated bracket. The holes all lined up perfectly.
My problem is, the transmission sits a bit higher and the cover around the gear shift does not screw down.
I’m considering shimming the cross mount with larger shims.
Michael

I can only confirm its the same for the 2.4l mount, the fit is very tight. I also think the new part places the transmission a bit too high in relation to the differential. Hence, it could cause drivetrain noises. I have therefore used shims to bring it down a couple of mm.

On the one hand, we can be grateful that there are companies / individuals who reproduce and offer non available OEM spare parts.
On the other hand, more than one time, I have purchased poor quality, and I have asked myself: when someone starts a reproduction or offers alternatives from other car models, why don’t you do it a 100% according to OEM’s specifications? Why wasting the client’s time and money by selling sh.....This has happened with clutch kits, rubber seals, bearings, water hoses, wind screens, etc.
What I hate. when complaining at the seller about a non correct spare: “we have never had any complaints; you are the first complaining”. That’s b.... sh....
My conclusion: better buy NOS or repair / refurbish the old part. Buy only reputated brands. (do not buy cheap chinese reproduction bearings)
And if this is not possible, check carefully what you have purchased and return to sender if not sattisfied.
The OEM rubber trans mounts always fit tight into the steel bar. But I never had you use brutal force or a vice, as you have been required.
Georg

With these kind of parts, i don't even try anymore to 'just' purchase the right part.
This part, like with many other parts, i just sit down behind my computer, design something properly where i can use good quality OE parts. In this case i designed a gearbox mount that uses OE BMW vibration mounts like used on basically every BMW ever build. Here you can be sure that the quality is good and that you end up with something that works, and can also be serviced in 20 years.
You just need to take a course 3d modelling but in the end it will save you a lot of frustration.

I can only agree, there are a lot of reproduction parts on the market that do not have a good quality, so repairing the original parts is probably always the best option.

In my opinion the problem is not the Chinese manufacturer of the repro parts. Instead, the problem is that the person that starts the reproduction of the parts doesnt have all the necessary specs for a reproduction. So most of the repro parts are produced on basis of technical assumptions and not on hard technical facts and specs. My personal experience is that Chinese manufacturers are very well capable of producing individual car parts, but you need to define exactly what you want.

All the more reason to support our dedicated suppliers. Years ago I was trying to source rear control arm bushings for my 2.4 spider. Very difficult to find back in the day. While I ultimately found some, when I removed the original ones I sent them off to Superformance who used them as a pattern to reproduce these hard to find bushings. This ensured the reproduction units mimicked the OE bushings. Now these once hard to find parts are just a click away on their website. Support our dedicated suppliers and they will support us! We're in a pretty small, niche market with these cars. In the 24+ years I've owned mine, parts availability has become much better due to supporting the people that support us.

Hi Stephan,
That mount is very nice looking. Did you make that for a Dino?