Mount Up!

So I've noticed that the driver's side header fit tight around the shock tower area, and under hard acceleration, the shifter handle would rock back and forth in my hand left to right. The transmission mount seemed fine. Then I noticed a one inch scrape on the underside of the hood where the air cleaner wing nut touched the hood as the engine lifted and rocked back and forth. A visual inspection of the driver's side motor mount showed the rubber layer seemed to be broken. After removal from the car, the damage was more obvious.


Most people purchase the fully adjustable mounts on the market for these cars. I don't need full adjustability even though the car has a T5Z transmission installed. So I bought the Total Control Products mounts for a few bucks less. These are not as adjustable, but are also serviceable should the bushing wear out one day. I was impressed by their heft and quality of manufacturing. They even use 3 bolts to mount to the frame, using a previously unused but present factory hole for the third bolt.

They added very little extra noise, vibration, and harshness (barely more than a broken mount anyway.) The shifter handle and the engine (presumably) stay steady under hard acceleration. Particularly for a stroker motor, I'd have to say these heavy-duty motor mounts are mandatory items.

Let There Be (More) Light!

I had purchased a pair of Sylvania H6024ST SilverStar 65-Watt High Performance Halogen Headlights last year when I was reassembling the car. I figured any modern light would be good enough, and the price was about $20 per bulb, so they must be pretty good. Well, they didn't work out for me. I found them to be not bright enough, which might be a result of the white light they emit (rather than the usual yellow).





These might fit the bill for somebody that just wants a white light. I'm assuming that a whiter light requires far more light to illuminate the road. Looking at the lit bulb they seem bright enough, but not driving down the road (for me anyway).





So I bought a pair of Sylvania H6024XV XtraVision 65-Watt High Performance Halogen Headlights from Amazon. These appear brighter to me, so I can see better at night while driving down the road.





In the last photo you can see the yellowish light rather than the white light from the ST's above... And these were $13 each from Amazon.





(The first two photos are the ST's and the last two are the XV's.)




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More Good Deals at Amazon...

I've bought a number of items from Amazon to install on my car over the past couple years. When shipping is free, and there's no tax, certain deals are too good to pass up. 10W-30 Red Line Oil for under $9/quart is a good example. (Other oil weights are even less!)

I found K&N oil filters for $10.85 instead of the nearly $14 plus tax at the local auto parts place.

I also plunked down $13 each for a pair of new Sylvania headlights. I had bought a pair of white Sylvania H6024ST a couple years ago, and frankly they aren't bright enough even with relays, since they are a whiter light. The H6024XV's are supposed to be brighter with a more traditional yellowish light...

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Undercover...

So I was replacing the valve cover gaskets the other evening and figured I'd take a pic of the rocker arms. (The color matches the car!) I went with a pair of rubber gaskets with a steel core from Jeg's. The old gaskets were cork and the driver's side was leaking in the back. I used some grey sealant on the top of the new gaskets to bond them to the valve covers better. Not sure this was the right thing to do, but it's been about 20 miles and no leaks... Looking at the pic, I need to change the oil.



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