1940s and 50s bell housing rubber top mounts

[MarcDeSoto]

I just bought some rubber top mounts for holding the bell housing for my 48 DeSoto.  Even in 1948 Chrysler warned about buying hard inferior bell housing and motor mounts.  I just ordered these Maromon ride control A2014.  They just cost $2.52 each so they are cheap, but are definitely not good.  They are hard as a rock!  So has anyone ordered these where the rubber is soft and pliable?  

 

[Dodgeb4ya]

There ya go....

More offshore junk.

It seems you  can't trust any imported antique car parts.

I sure don't.

I carefully search ebay and swap meets...used to on the swap meets.

[MarcDeSoto]

And Marmon is a Berkshire Hathaway product.  that's Warren Buffet's company.  So you only buy MoPar brand rubber?  Hasn't it turned hard by now also?  

Edited March 22, 2021 by MarcDeSoto

[MarcDeSoto]

Has anyone bought this set from Mopar Pro.  They say they produce them and the rubber is soft.  

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/173383040603?ul_noapp=true

[Dodgeb4ya]

His are for sure chinese.

[Veemoney]

I find many of the rubber parts I buy these days are hard almost like they are made of plastic. maybe it has something to do with the process or a preservative for the rubber's shelf life. The gas tank mounts for bikes for example have no give to allow installation. I use a heat gun and warm them up just hot to the touch but don't go overboard and melt or dry them out and they act like rubber after that, even once they cool. Maybe worth a shot on those $2.50 parts.

 

 

[MarcDeSoto]

5 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

His are for sure chinese.

If they are soft rubber, I don't really care if they're Chinese.  Is rubber from 70 years ago from MoPar still good?  That is if you can find any NOS.

[Dan Hiebert]

I don't remember what they are exactly, but the compounds that make rubber pliable leach out over time, especially older formulas.  That's what makes it become dried out and brittle.  I.e., when you find an NO(really O)S part in its original wrapper, box, etc., that container will be stained by those leached out compounds, especially if it hasn't been moved for a long time.  If kept in a theoretically perfect environment (I don't know what that would be) 70 year old rubber parts could conceivably still be good.  But most likely not.  I've read many times and in many places that NOS rubber should be avoided, and I've found much NOS rubber that was no longer pliable, so I just avoid it.   

Edited March 22, 2021 by Dan Hiebert

[Sam Buchanan]

13 hours ago, MarcDeSoto said:

I just bought some rubber top mounts for holding the bell housing for my 48 DeSoto.  Even in 1948 Chrysler warned about buying hard inferior bell housing and motor mounts.  I just ordered these Maromon ride control A2014.  They just cost $2.52 each so they are cheap, but are definitely not good.  They are hard as a rock!  So has anyone ordered these where the rubber is soft and pliable?  

 

Here are two threads I started about my experience with engine mounts, maybe there will be some useful info for you.

 

https://p15-d24.com/topic/50844-engine-mounts-p15-caution/

 

 

 

 

 

[Marcel Backs]

If a rubber part needs replacing, I mostly try to find a match in polyurethane. It will not deteriorate over time. It’s available in black and once in place, you cannot tell the difference. I have a pile of highly inferior parts made by the junk manufacturers across the pond that I will never use. I would not even re-sell them with good conscience. The only way to stop these inferior parts from showing up in your order be it rubber or cheap metal is to make sure they stay on the supplier’s shelf. Insist on made in the USA as much as possible and keep unscrupulous manufactures out of the loop. THEY DO NOT DESERVE TO INVADE OUR HOBBY WITH CHEAP GOODS THAT MAY COMPROMISE OUR SAFETY AND THIEVE AWAY OUR HARD EARNED DOLLARS! My rant for today. M

[Dodgeb4ya]

8 hours ago, MarcDeSoto said:

If they are soft rubber, I don't really care if they're Chinese.  Is rubber from 70 years ago from MoPar still good?  That is if you can find any NOS.

If his are from either China or India  likely the rubber mounts will last if lucky a couple years then start cracking.

At least India rubber doesn't have the awful stink chinese rubber does.

Too much china clay in rubber is one reason for cracking and hardness.

Now days take what you can get. That's the way it seems to be.

[maddmaxx1949]

Ya'll have piqued my interest. I also have a set of the Marmon ones Marc and they do seem pretty tough. Fingernail indent only if I press really hard. Since they are cheap I'm going to experiment with a couple different softening methods and come back with my results.

[MarcDeSoto]

The problem with a lot of these Chinese and Indian parts are they have no idea what the part is for.  They are given the size and shape and they make it without regard for its intended purpose to cushion the body from the vibration of the power train.  

[Plymouthy Adams]

19 hours ago, Marcel Backs said:

If a rubber part needs replacing, I mostly try to find a match in polyurethane. It will not deteriorate over time. It’s available in black and once in place, you cannot tell the difference. I have a pile of highly inferior parts made by the junk manufacturers across the pond that I will never use. I would not even re-sell them with good conscience. The only way to stop these inferior parts from showing up in your order be it rubber or cheap metal is to make sure they stay on the supplier’s shelf. Insist on made in the USA as much as possible and keep unscrupulous manufactures out of the loop. THEY DO NOT DESERVE TO INVADE OUR HOBBY WITH CHEAP GOODS THAT MAY COMPROMISE OUR SAFETY AND THIEVE AWAY OUR HARD EARNED DOLLARS! My rant for today. M

 

I'm with you brother except the fact is majority of our parent US companies have sold us out for the lower cost overseas made items they stock and sell...they have sent their molds, trained the folks and given away cast and mixing secrets for decades now.....all to put a dime in their pocket and in truth, they care less if you are happy.  They glut the market, they make the bucks, sole source and umpteen retailers, they raking it in.   It will not get better....

[Marcel Backs]

If you have any rubber parts that you will be storing for an extended period of time,  seal them in a food saver bag.  Storing rubber in an oxygen free environment will keep it from deteriorating over time and keep it from becoming brittle. My theory on the brittleness of rubber is that these parts are manufactured in huge batches ( to of course keep cost per unit at a bare minimum) with cheap material all at once and then left sitting on the shelves at suppliers for many years oxidizing away. M

PS a vacuum sealing machine also works well for storing grease packed bearings or any small part needing protection from oxidization. 

[Noonan]

I'm not sure that a stiff mount is going to affect your bell housing mounting that negatively. 

 

You might find that a stiffer mount actually improves the feel of the car and the driveline. 

 

You may also feel and hear a bit more noise and resonance through the frame and body with stiffer mounts.    But who's to say without a bit of real world testing what the actual outcome will be.

 

I think it is a give and take when choosing between soft and hard mounting materials.