Rear Motor Mount Replacement ('72-'79 Type 2)

by Dennis Jolliffe (a.k.a. Denmeister) and David Schwarze

Dennis Jolliffe's recommends:

First, a procedure within a procedure: Removing the Alternator:

  1. As usual all good procedures involve disconnecting the battery. Do it first.
  2. Get a roll of 1/2" masking tape, and a pad of paper, fine point felt marker, and a ball point pen. Mark everything as you take it apart, so you will know where it goes later. Draw circuit connection maps if you need to so you don't forget where everything attaches. It's not a crime to make notes. The mind is a fickle thing after a few beers, don't you know...
  3. Disconnect the alternator wires from the starter, and pull them back thru the firewall tinwork, and disconnect the harness from the regulator. Label everything so you know where it re-connects.
  4. Remove the engine seal back far enough to not be in the way around the back while you're working.
  5. Remove the plastic oil filler portion of the oil tube, and the dipstick, and tuck a clean rag in there so nothing unwanted falls into the tube during surgery.
  6. Remove the three tinwork parts around the rear edge.
  7. Remove the center three bolts from the fan hub (not the very center one, it can stay).
  8. Loosen the alternator, and remove the belt.
  9. Loosen and remove the bottom bolt holding the alternator in place thru the tinwork at the bottom.
  10. Remove the bolts and screw holding the alternator front cover tinwork in place, and remove the tinwork.
  11. Remove the upper adjusting bolt from the alternator bracket (watch for the widget at the back of the bracket when you remove the allen head bolt, as it will fall to the ground when the bolt is removed).
  12. The bracket the alternator adjustment is done against is connected with a 13mm nut at the top. It can be removed from below using a short 13mm socket, and a couple of long extensions. The bracket is also connected to the heater box at the bottom. Remove the hardware and the bracket.
  13. Now remove the alternator! End alternator removal...reverse procedure to re-install.
  14. CAREFULLY remove the fan from the end of the crank hub (soak it good with WD-40), and pry gently from the edges against the steel part of the pulley with two long flat blade screwdrivers, this can be a tricky job requiring a beer brake if you get cranky. Be sure not to break off any of the aluminum cooling fins during removal as this will play havoc with the balancing and cause all kinds of grief afterwards. Give the whole fan assembly a detailed bath in Varsol when you get it out. I use a tooth brush to get in all the cracks and crannies.
  15. Remove the two connecting plates that cover the opening between the heater box and the fan shroud assembly at the bottom...these are accessed from the bottom. They're different, mark which one goes on which side. Put the hardware back in the holes once they're removed
  16. There are three oddball to get at screws that hold tinwork to the fan shroud on the 3-4 side--two along the outside edge, and one down by the base of the dizzy. Remove them.
  17. Disconnect the thermostat cable from the crossbar. This 4mm bolt (8mm head) strips easily, don't over tighten it later. Pull the cable back out of the way from the bottom
  18. Disconnect the hold-down strap from the coil, and move the coil forward out of the way.
  19. Remove the 4-8mm bolt size (13mm head size) nuts from the fanshroud thru the center fan opening.
  20. Some folks have a heater/muffler support bracket on the 3-4 side that attaches to the fanshroud. If you have one, now is the time to remove it.
  21. Have a good look around for anything else that might still be attached, but you should be able to pull the top edge of the shroud rearwards at this point, and up to remove it from the vehicle. It's a tight fit, and may require some minor prying. Watch the flapper fins on the way out to be sure you don't damage anything. Have a good look to see how everything aligns before you give it the final tug.
  22. Support the engine on a stand at this point, and remove the rear cross-member two lower bolts, and two on each side bracket bolts, and remove the rear engine support. You need to do this to reach the lower mount bracket bolts...or you can leave the brackets on the engine, and change the broken mount. Either way, you're half-way there, it's all apart, and the hard part is done.
  23. Replace the rubber mounts, and re-assemble reverse of taking apart.
To be honest, this is a 2-4 hour job at best...plan the day, it can't be hurried in much less than 3 hours, and be done correctly.

Remember my motto: measure twice, but cut once, and do it correctly.

One can also use this procedure to replace oil cooler seals and gaskets. It's a good time to do that and replace the accordion boot on the dipstick where it attaches to the oil filler tube by the way.

David Schwarze writes his procedure for replacing the motor mounts:

Unfortunately, a lot has to be removed to get at the mounts easily. I say easily because I'm not sure it's impossible to remove them with the fan housing attached, but if possible it would certainly be difficult.

The fan housing is held on by four studs behind the fan, but it is also attached to the heater boxes. You need to pull it back to remove it from the studs, but you need to lift it up to remove it from the heater boxes. I've tried, but have not been able to remove the fan housing without both unfastening the studs and removing the heater boxes. My procedure is roughly as follows:

At this point, the fan shroud should be loose. Pull it straight backwards, being mindful of the upper edge, which is tucked underneath the top tin pieces. If it does not come free easily, you may need to loosen some of the fasteners holding the upper tin pieces to the engine case to allow the upper tin to come up a little bit.

A bonus is that now you get to see how the cooling flaps work. Take a few minutes to move them back and forth with your hands and look closely at the flaps, especially the left one. Notice the dimensions of the openings in the fan housing - the left one is larger because of the oil cooler.

You can also check your oil cooler and sender for leaks and repair them easily if needed. You can also do something cool with your fan housing like cleaning it really well and powdercoating or polishing it. I want to powdercoat mine someday.

If you dropped a spark plug down under the tin sometime in the past, now is the time to reach in there and grab it. You can also inspect your cylinders and oil cooler for anything blocking the flow of air through them, like leaves, or oily dirt.

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