flamin-roids

I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I thought I would give it a try. So I have an S4 Turbo transmission matched up with an automatic transmission mount. I did a conversion years back and, rather than solving this issue then, I waited until now to fix it. Now, the stock bushings will not match up. They will with an S5 turbo transmission, but the S4 has a completely different setup. So needless to say, I needed bushings that would fit. So rather than buying some rubber and fiddling with that, I decided to make wooden bushings. So here is what I did:

I cut two pieces of poplar (because it was soft and somewhat flexible) into 3/4x2x1 1/4 inch pieces. I drilled a 5/16" hole through the middle of each one and the sprayed a rubberized coating from a can on each one of them. I ran a 1 1/4" bolt through and presto! They fit perfectly. The bolt going through the center of the mount is centered perfectly and it looks pretty legit too. Seeing as how they won't be holding too much weight and rotary vibrations is pretty minimal, how long do you think it will take before I realize this was a bad idea?

fliaznguy

Popcorn.

gerald m

You might be surprised how long they might last , even better if soaked or boiled in linseed oil wood can last for many years and stay soft and pliable .

On my Polaris sno mo clutch that I installed on the dragon has 6 carbon type buttons for the clutch tower to slide in and out on ( most clutches of this type have the buttons )and also guide the clutch to keep it from binding . I made new ones from an ash dowel installed them last year and although the ends are black from the aluminum the buttons them selves show no wear nor stress and are almost self lubricating .

Landon303

iTrader: (25)

Keep in mind there will still be loads of vibration transfer as you essentially took all the degrees of freedom out and made it a solid mount by running a thru bolt. I think they'll last quite a while, update this thread w pics when you do eventually change them

Molotovman

iTrader: (49)

I think they will compress and your car will vibrate like crazy until you're over 6k RPM and it will smooth out.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Wood has been used quite extensively in mechanical systems but you used the wrong species for the application.
You want something like lignum vitae which is very dense and hard and even self lubricating.
It's so tough it was used as bearing material for early steamship driveshafts and even in high end precision clocks (which is how I learned of it).

I think poplar is too soft and split prone for this particular job.

flamin-roids

I originally had no bushings whatsoever and the vibration wasn't too bad actually. I wanted a soft wood so I went with poplar. I coated it with rubber flex seal so hopefully that will keep it intact. I spent a total of $4.32 on materials (already had a can of rubber flex spray), and I've already experienced no bushings so I figured I couldn't go too horribly wrong. I'll let you guys know how it fares after I get my pilot bearing in the mail and put it back together.