I want to say thanks tons Jay for installing the Engery Suspension bushings in my car today. All I can say is "THEY ROCK". There is not much steering wheel vibration and the engine moves every so slightly when reving up the engine (and I mean very little). Also thanks Jay for giving me the great oppunity to learn some more swear words while installing the rear motor mount ;).

Jay, you are the MAN!!!!!!

SE-R Newbie

Good to see that Jay has gotten some rest, after the Silvia project. Hopefully, he'll being doing some work on my car next week... including getting the ES bushings installed. Nice to know that you like the way it feels.

And yes, putting in the firewall ES inserts was a major PITA. Forget about learning new swear words... I taught myself a whole new language when I did this.

Later,
Mark

'91 Classic... with no bolt ons!

Yet that rear one was a major PITA. The car is more responsive when shifting and the steering wheel does not shake much at all. Yea Jay is one busy man and as the old saying goes "I hate to be in his shoes". I mean with working on my car, the phone calls, and the people stopping in, all I can think is wow Jay sure keeps his cool.

But hey that is why alot and I mean alot of people do go to him for getting some work done on their cars he does it right and does a clean job.

So what is Jay doing with your car, vladha?

SE-R Newbie

where can I get a set?

Got all 4 MM inserts and shifter bushing from Courtesy Nissan for $90 with shipping

SE-R Newbie,

Don't know for sure what needs to be replaced. From researching here and on the mailing list, I think the ball joints need replacing. Jay said he would test drive the car to make sure... no point in buying parts if they're not needed, at least the wrong parts, anyway. If the ball joints are bad, he'll replace the bushings with the ES set at the same time.

Have a couple of other issues for him to diagnose and fix... maybe clutch cable needs replacing(I've tightened it as far as it will go), bolt for the ES shifter bushing is pressing into ES torque mount... I think this is making some of my shifts a bit difficult. We'll see.... can't wait to get this done. We're(myself, wife and 3yr old son) are going to the Smokey Mountains at the end of this month. I'd like to take the Classic so I can have some fun on the twisties.

Anyway, congrats on the new setup. Glad that you like the way it feels... gives me hope.

Later,
Mark

Originally posted by vladha
bolt for the ES shifter bushing is pressing into ES torque mount...

That part doesn't move while shifting, it shouldn't make it harder to shift. On a B13 anyway, but I'd imagine a B14 is similar if not the same.

Hey vladha,

You will like the ES shifter bushing. That upgrade alone has made the shifting more fun. I have added a Pacesetter short shifter and that has made shifting alot more fun. I have the ES master bushing kit installed on my car and that has helped in making the suspension alot tighter. I am very happy with my suspension and what Jay has done.

SE-R Newbie

For those of you with experience with putting the firewall ES insert in, do you have any tips or tricks as far as getting the insert in the mount. Did you have to use a vise or jack to get the old ones out? I'll be doing all the mounts and the shifter bushing next weekend and I want to be prepared. Thanks guys!

Derek

Well watching Jay and he used a jack to get the firewall motor mount installed and it was tough. I would say alot of patients and alot of wd-40 and alot of time. I would suggest start early. Jay started on my car at noon and we where done in 5 hours. We had some setbacks and had to take the passenger mount to the machine shop to be pressed in.

Good luck on the install.

SE-R Newbie

Originally posted by DTyne
For those of you with experience with putting the firewall ES insert in, do you have any tips or tricks as far as getting the insert in the mount.
Derek

Read what I wrote here;
http://www.sr20deforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1223&highlight=firewall

Chris

I help a buddy do the full motor mount set during his JDM swap a few weeks ago. The inserts were straight forward, but the front insulator/passenger side mount was a little bastard to get the old rubber out. We cut out as much as we could then lit it on fire to burn away the rest of the rubber..hehe.

Don't bother with a press, you don't need one. What we did was jack up my bro's NX2K and lubed up the inserts. We propped the metal part of the mount up off the ground with small pieces of wood with the insert positioned on top. Then, slowly lower the car, and Viola!! The mount pops right in.

Just two nights ago, I put in the two mount inserts that attach to the tranny in NismoNx2000's ride. Everything went smooth, again lubrication was the key. I didn't even have to remove the crossmember to get the inserts in. Just remove the bracket that attaches the mount to the block/tranny, install the inserts, and slide the bracket back on over the inserts. Bolted everything right up, took maybe 20 minutes. Maybe its because we haven't done the dogbone mount yet, so that one could prove difficult when i get around to doing it.

Jesus, Chris... I should have had you help me put the ES torque mount in. I'm just trying to visualize doing this w/o taking the crossmember off.... duh, nope, can't picture it. Fuggit, I'm going to get back under the car and see what I missed. Gonna kick myself if there was an easier way to do it.

Anyway, the dogbone mount is a piece of cake. I ended up using lithium grease for everything, also dropped the inserts in some boiling water for about a minute to soften them up a bit.

SerNewbie, I put my ES shifter bushings in at the same time I did my mounts. I can't really tell any difference, but maybe it's because my old bushing were still in very good shape.

NismoSER, really? The bolt poking into the insert won't interfer with any shifts? I must of misread something when I was searching the archives. Anyway, if that's the case, this info really helps me out. Now I'm going to guess my problems really have to do with the clutch cable... nice to have it narrowed down. Maybe I can talk Jay into doing the clutch cable, too. He's littler, and thinner than my middle aged ass... don't know if I'd be able to squeeze and contort under the dash to do it myself.

Now, after all this information, I really really can't wait to get my car done. Next up, I'll have to build my own rear stabilizer, one that goes behind the seat.... should be fun.

Later,
Mark

Hey Guys,
Here's a tip for those PITA inserts... Boil some water in a pan, take the pan off the heat and throw the bushings in the the hot water for a little bit until al dente. They will soften them up and make them much easier to push in. (All I had to do was step on them to get them in)

Finish off with a sprinkle of Extra Virgin olive oil, salt, and some cracked black pepper. (Be careful when you take the bushings out of the water!!! They are HOT.)

-Train
(Watching too much food network thesedays ;) )

The first three were relatively straight forward. I had the passenger (front) mount presssed at a shop, but I imagine a vice would do it. I hated doing the firewall mount. It took forever to line up with the jack. I did it by myself too. Then it stuck out too far, and I found it interfering with the shift fork in the 1-2 shift. Out came the dremmel tool, to save me again.
The mount never functioned properly I still had wheel hop. Admittedly it was reduced. I ended up carving it out, and pouring my own mount for the firewall. Now I have a solid mount and it transmits less vibration, cause it doesn't contact the engine with the cahsisis. Whereas the ES sticks out. I can launch up to 4500 rpm w/o getting wheel hop.
Dont get me wrong ES products are great. I have the shifter bushing, rack, and sway bar set sitting right here. The inserts aren't enough ***. Am I missing the contorol arm bushings?

Originally posted by vladha
Jesus, Chris... I should have had you help me put the ES torque mount in. I'm just trying to visualize doing this w/o taking the crossmember off.... duh, nope, can't picture it. Fuggit, I'm going to get back under the car and see what I missed. Gonna kick myself if there was an easier way to do it.

NismoSER, really? The bolt poking into the insert won't interfer with any shifts? I must of misread something when I was searching the archives. Anyway, if that's the case, this info really helps me out. Now I'm going to guess my problems really have to do with the clutch cable... nice to have it narrowed down. Maybe I can talk Jay into doing the clutch cable, too. He's littler, and thinner than my middle aged ass... don't know if I'd be able to squeeze and contort under the dash to do it myself.


Well, that rod that the shifter bushing goes into connects with 2 studs and 2 12mm nuts to the rear firewall mount bracket. The other end of that rod goes around the shifter underneath it. I believe its called a stabilizer bar. Now, if that shifter bushing and the rear firewall mount are moving that much, we'd have a problem. It may swivel a bit, but look under the car while someone shifts it. On the 4 5 speed B13 SR20's that have been in my driveway, nothing touching the shifter bushing moves.

Good luck buddy!

You know, sometimes I just have to scratch my head and go "duh". I'll get my wife or brother to do the shifting while I'm under there. Haven't had the wife do it, mainly because when I'm working on the car, she's in the house covering my little boy's ears.

Thanks, sometimes the simpler ideas are the best.

Later,
Mark