Dorman 924-005 Engine Cradle Mounts, Updated and Finished

[Dashmaster]

Want to thank everyone on this forum for all the Help, Thoughtfulness, Technical Information and Creative Thinking. Best People and forum anywhere !!!

Special Thanks to D-a-n-i-e-l ( Daniel ) For all the research and work you did awhile back on the engine cradle bushings. I used your information to purchase the 924-005 Kits. They do work Fine for the Reatta in all mounting locations.

Thank You Ronnie for the awesome documentation, tutorials and great pricing on parts available to us all. You may use any information and pictures to create a tutorial on your website.

Thank You Machiner 55 ( John F. ) For you documentation and knowledge. It is valuable and appreciated.

And again to everyone that has documented anything related to keeping these cars on the road. My car would be a parts car without this forum and its members.

Installation of the 924-005 Mount Kits

Parts Needed:

6 Dorman 924-005 mounts

6 GM bolts part # 11517635 ( Gm Parts Direct, may be able to sorce them else where, the GM bolt is metric with larger bolt head 18mm and slightly thicker on the shaft near bold head. Bolts are 4 inches long from underside of head to tip, 4.5 inches long overall, and fit Dorman mounts perfectly.

1 or 2 nuts that fit new center bolts ( 1 nut needed for use in compressing and seating mounts in frame, extra nut is spare. NAPA part number 81477 )

One Washer used for compressing and seating bushings ( used one of the good factory top washers from the factory mounts, you will likely get a good one from one of the front mounts. They drop into the top of the dorman washer and are perfect for the seating/compressing of the bushings explained later in this document.

Tools Needed for Removal and Install

1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch ratchets

10mm, 13mm, 15mm, 18mm sockets

PB Blaster

Impact wrench (Air and or Electric )

4 Jack Stands

Floor Jack

1/2 drive Torque Wrench.

19mm wrench to hold nut for mount seating/compression

Cutting, Grinding Tools ( Only needed if you break off center bolt during removal and to remove any broken off 10 mm studs from factory mounts )

Supporting Car for mount removal/ install: I jacked and supported the car on the right side, completed the install on that side then jacked and did the left side. You could probably jack both sides and support car/cradle and should work fine. Using floor jack, Jack Car enought to remove tires, remove tires, Place one jack stand between rear mounts on engine cradle and one in the front on each side. Car should now be supported by 4 jack stands connected to engine cradle.

Removing Factory Mounts: Soak Mounts with PB Blaster before trying to remove them, Use air or electric impact wrench to remove 15mm center bolts. Remove center 15mm bolts( You just need the bolt to release from the body, Due to rust the bolt may not come completely out of the mounts and drop out. ) Once all bolts are released from the side you are working on, jack body using floor jack, jacking from the factory front jack pad. Jack body up to create a bigger gap so its easier to remove the 3, 10mm nuts on each mount. Once they are removed the mount should drop out. Remove all mounts on the side your are doing, remove and install only one side of the car at a time.

Install of Dorman 924-005 Mounts:

With car already supported on jack stands, mark inner washer locations on strut tops, loosen the 3, 13mm top nuts holding strut at top but dont remove them just back them off to the top of the studs.

Remove AC line holding clamp that is located on the left side inner front engine cradle, about 6 inches back from front mount location. This is to remove any stress on the line when doing left side.

Jack body using floor jack to create a 4 inch or larger gap needed to install new mounts.

Mount install: Top mounting parts are the Large Metal washer with protruding metal D shape, and round bushing fits inside this washer, Bottom parts are are the large D shaped bushing with large contoured bottom washer.

Push bottom D shaped bushing into cradle from the bottom, push part way in, about 1/2 inch through frame ( this bushing is a snug fit into D space on frame , Take top washer with bushing and position it on top side of frame and align the D shaped parts. Compress and seat bushing.

YOU MUST Seat/ Compress bushings or you will not be able to get bolts to reach and thread into car side body nuts.

Seating/Compressing Bushings. With the parts already placed , Slide washer onto the top of the Dorman washer, place nut on top, use bottom washer and bolt, feed bolt up through mount assembly and get it to thread onto nut, hold nut with wrench and use ratchet to tighten, this will draw lower busing up into fame and top washer bushing down into lower bushing seating/compressing them onto frame. Once compressed, remove bolt with lower washer and top nut and washer. When removed assembly should stay compressed enough for you to bolt up to car.

I installed and compressed all the mounts on one side, Lower floor jack to bring the car body down to the top of the mounts, Install bottom washer and bolt using 3/8th ratchet, tighten each mount but not really tight yet, Do the other side the same as this side.

After all mounts are installed and bolted up, remove support from floor jack, car resting on jack stands. Torque bolts to 76lbs in this order: Inner rear left then inner rear right ( position 2 in 89 FSM), then Front left then right ( position 1 in 89 FSM). then the last two rear outer mounts can be done in any order ( Position 3 in 89 FSM).

You have now completed the mount install. Remember to re-attach AC clamp ( Left Side ), tighten all the top studs nuts on struts and anything else you may have removed.

In my opinion, these mounts are better than the original, Heavier parts and better design, rust can only start and accumulate where the metal D part of the top washer and bolt are, there are drain holes here and in bottom washer, unlike factory mounts that can rust together all the way through from top washer through mount.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Dashmaster (see edit history)

[Ronnie]

Thanks for posting the good writeup and the photos. I will use them soon on my website with full credit to you. Do you have a specs on the bolts that are needed that are not supplied in the kit? Or a source where they can be purchased? Thanks!

[Dashmaster]

I used the information for the bolts from Machiner55 post in my broken bolt thread. I have ordered some but have not gotten them yet. If they come this week I will finish bolting up right side and start working on the left. Hopefully no more broken bolts. I will use one of the kit bolts to use in the inner rear location since I had to remove the factory nut/plate. Picture of my old mounts and nut/plate are in that thread. I have to get proper nut and make new plate for this location.

I still have to find the Torque Spec for the center bolt so I can make sure they are set properly.

Bolt: PN #11517635------$2.29 ea.

The Insulator and Bolt are currently still available from GM Parts Direct

[Ronnie]

Thanks for the info on the bolts. I will wait for you to finish your job before I start on a turtorial. You might have something you want to add before you are finished.

[Barney Eaton]

Let us know how the bolts work and give some dimensions...... they can probably be purchased from a bolt supplier for half that price.

[Dashmaster]

I will measure the new ones and the one good one I have so far. Yes lower price would be good for sure. I did look at one local place but could not find anything there so instead of driving around and wasting Diesel Fuel I just went with these.

[Guest Mc_Reatta]

With all the discussion about these insulators, I'm surprised no one seems to have looked at what the bible has to say about them.

As all Reattas came with the ride and handling package which was optional on the Riviera, one insulator on each side would be different than the other two. Not that this matters anymore as they are probably unobtanium anyway.

There are differences of where that one was located between the 80s and 90s cars.

The (engine cradle) frame insulators are covered starting on page 2A-2 in the 89 FSM and 10-3-3 in the 90 FSM.

There is a tightening sequence as well as a torque value specified along with other cautions.

Since I believe teaching one how to fish is more important than handing one out, I recommend that anyone interested go fishing in the FSM until Ronnie creates a tutorial.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Mc_Reatta (see edit history)

[zoltanb]

The front two mounts are different on my Toronado which has FE3 rear and different handling characteristics but are still available from Gm.

[KDirk]

I alluded to this in the other lengthy thread on this subject. GM stopped concerning themselves with maintaining OE handling characteristics (RPO's FE1, FE3 etc.) for cars of this era long ago. They clearly considered it "good enough" to offer suitable replacment parts that differed from the originals just to keep these cars on the road safely. Now they have even dispensed with the pretense that offering any parts at all is neccessary.

Dorman has picked up the slack - unofficially as their parts are not spec'd for the Reatta - so that is our only real option now. Prothane has bushings that will fit but offers no washers. If you can find OEM parts anywhere, go ahead and get them. Selection from GM SPO now is slim to none and slim was just seen steppping out the back door of the parts department. Point being that one should not expect to find factory parts going forward. The Dorman kit is the only practical solution presently if you want plug and play, excepting the bolts.

KDirk

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

Glad to see some one finally used these. I still have the one I used to test the fitment. If I would have known I would have given to you.

[Dashmaster]

All mounts installed and torqued to spec. This project for me is now closed. See top of this thread for new install instructions and pictures. Ronnie you can now create a tutorial. Also give Daniel the research credit for this work around.

[waltmail]

Any idea what the part's cost was for the entire job?

[Dashmaster]

6 Dorman Kits ordered through Amazon $125

6 GM Replacement Bolts ordered through GM Parts Direct $26

Nut's for Bushing compression/seating about a dollar.

PB blaster $4-6 dollars. Depending where you get it.

I noticed today not all my pictures uploaded. I have some showing new bolt and original and the part number for the new bolts.

Edited November 3, 2014 by Dashmaster (see edit history)

[Ronnie]

All mounts installed and torqued to spec. This project for me is now closed. See top of this thread for new install instructions and pictures. Ronnie you can now create a tutorial. Also give Daniel the research credit for this work around.

You have provided good photos and wrote a good tutorial on how to install the cradle bushing. Thank you for taking the time to do that. You should get credit for it.

Daniel should get credit for doing the research. He probably spent a lot of time on it.

I will need to spend a few hours getting photos ready to post on ROJ and writing the instructions for installing the cradle bushing based on the information you provided.

Amazon and GMPartsDirect are the recommended sources for the parts needed to do the job. They deserve credit for being able to make money off parts Reatta owners need without having to write tutorials. I've never figured out how to do that.

Edited November 7, 2014 by Ronnie (see edit history)

[Ronnie]

Thanks to Dashmaster for providing the info and photos for this tutorial: Engine Cradle/Sub-Frame Bushing Replacement

If anyone sees changes that need to be made please contact me.

[DAVES89]

Excellent write up and a well documented job! Thanks guys!

[RivNut]

You guys probably know better than I do so I'm here asking for opinions.  Will the above part numbers and procedure also work on my 1990 Riviera?

 

Thanks,

Ed

[DAVES89]

I have brought this up again for those that need this information. I have reviewed other posts and the general consensus is that this set up works on all the cars with this sub frame set up such as the Reatta, Riviera, Trofero, Seville.

 

[Dashmaster]

Thank You Dave for the Update, and Ronnie for having it on the ROA. I am very happy that this is saving lost of cars from the junk yards due to this issue. Hard to believe I did this in 2014. But I can report no issues using these to date.

 

 

[91Tonado]

Great to hear they held up hopefully having this done to my trofeo monday showed my mechanic this and he's willing to try for me at my expenses so fingers crossed. We ordered the dorman part # recommended here and the original gm bolts for the toronado is there anything i may be missing? Also thanks @DAVES89 for the response to my inquiries, super helpful!

[Dashmaster]

91Tonado. Use the write up  for this on the ROJ. Its easier to read there. As long as the bolts work you should be good.

You can PM me if you have any questions on Monday.