Most every maker of m60/m62 engine mounts currently is basing off the idea of using subframe spacers. I  have covered where this idea of using subframe spacers came from here:

https://www.rtsauto.com/mounting-an-m60-m62-without-subframe-spacers-and-without-drivetrain-angle/

Essentially the person who wrote one of the first DIY for the swap used subframe spacers, and because others were religiously following that DIY guide during their swap they too used subframe spacers. To a large extent most people choose to take the spacer route for two reasons.

1. If you did not go this route you had to make your own mounts because you would need shorter mounts to lower the engine in relation to the subframe after you notched the pan.

2.Until I recently was exploring the idea of notching the oil pan and having different mounts I was surprised to see that most people who had done the swap didn’t even think to question the idea of the subframe spacers.

Changing the geometry of the suspension and raising the body of the car in relation to the subframe (by using spacers) is never a favorable option if it can be avoided (by notching the oil pan). With notching not only is the body center of gravity correct without spacers but the engine is also lowered slightly with the mounts. Lower center of gravity is also always better.

There has been a lot of discussion about how much of a difference there really is. To the average person perhaps there really is not that much of a difference in feel. However in my opinion everyone should be able to see and agree that the ‘best’ and ‘right’ way to do the swap is to notch the pan and not use subframe spacers. After all if I wanted to change the geometry of the E30 then why did I choose the E30 as a base for the swap anyways?

Consider that the money saved on NOT buying the subframe spacers can be spent on paying a competent welding shop to notch the pan. So on net notching should not cost much more than using subframe spacers.

I have finally found a place that is offering to-order mounts called garagistic, where they have agreed to weld the mounts higher or lower dependent on how much you plan to notch the oil pan. I talked to them on r3v. There are two ways to go with their mounts.

First is to play the engine rubber mount ‘game’. With e28 m5 rubber mounts, the engine settles with about a business cards worth of space left between the steering rack and the oil pan, with no notching required, this is currently how they run it. Ireland engineering and some other shorter rubber mounts can be used to lower the engine even further to a point where notching then becomes required.

Second is to request for garagistic to actually weld the m60/m62 mount differently so the lowering is created by the mount itself rather than the rubber mounts.

They offer the oil notching service for $150, or alternatively most competent welding shops locally could do it. It depends if it is worth your hassle to attempt to explain to the shop how much and where you require the notching or just have garagistic do it.

I received my mounts in bare metal, the welds look nicely done and are ground nicely. The metal is very thick and the mount feels sturdy.

Link to garagistic’s store:
https://store.garagistic.com/m60-m62-e30-motor-mounts?tracking=5930fd52025a1

This entry was posted on December 19, 2012 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Do it Yourself. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.