- Joined
- Jul 27, 2012
- Messages
- 3,094
- Reaction score
- 445
- Location
- Brisbane - Australia
- My Car
- 1973 Mustang Convertible
Hi to all,
My apologies if my discussion below has been covered before regarding 1973 engine mountings. I know there has been a lot spoken about 1,2,3 mounts in the past, but for me, i am still in the dark somewhat as to actually finding workable solutions to replacing the motor mounts in my '73 Convertible with a 302 Windsor engine.
I have been doing a decent amount of research lately on trying to buy new or used '73 Convertible motor mounts, without much luck at all. I have also been looking into the prospect of getting my original motor mounts repaired and replaced with new vulcanized rubber inserts, without much success either. I am aware that the '73 Convertible motor mounts and the '73 pedistal/ frame mounts are exclusive to 1973 Convertibles only. In my case, my original factory motor mounts appear to be in still good serviceable condition, but being rubber, they could go west in the future sometime, and i wanted to be prepared to replace them when necessary.
My research has led me to West Coast Cougars and a company called Westar in the USA. West Coast Cougar of course, deal in factory oem used parts for '73 Mustangs, but have not got any stock of used '73 Vert motor mounts.
So thinking of my fellow Forum members, i did more research and got together a simple chart explaining the various options for all 1973 Mustang owners, be it for Hardtops/ Convertibles or Coupes. (see my chart below).
The good news it would seem, is that this Westar company produces new rubber motor mounts catering for all '73 model owners. I hope i am not proved to be wrong here, so fingers crossed i guess.
So regardless of your engine, be it a 351 Clevo, a 351 Windsor, or a 302 Windsor, you can purchase motor mounts for your Convertible, Coupe or Hardtop. It breaks down that the Coupe and Hardtop run the same pedistal/ frame mounts, and need to be married up with the matching motor mounts. The Convertible pedistal/ frame base mounts are different, and also needs to match up with their own special motor mounts. The Westar company caters for both the Verts and the Hardtops/ Coupes by offering up two separate styled motor mount parts. (see my pics below). In my case, my frame mounts are in great condition, and don't need to be replaced. I am only interested in eventually replacing the motor mounts. If you need to replace your existing frame mounts for any reason, then West Coast Cougar is probably the place to go, as they sell the oem used frame mounts.
I will get in contact with Rock Auto/Westar who sells and deals in these Westar motor mounts and verify if they are indeed suitable for our '73 Mustangs. I notice their are plenty of E bay sellers, selling on these same Westar motor mounts as well. The asking prices are very cheap as well. If i run into any problems with product compatibility issues, i will report back to the Forum and update my situation. I also notice that the Westar mounts are not captured by design, as the factory '73's are. This should not present any issues i hope with buying this product. Also, West Coast Cougar recommend going to 1972 frame and motor mounts as a get out of jail solution if you can't find any 1973 motor mounts for your Convertible. That is a solution i will explore later on if i run into trouble with the Westar products.
Lastly, this website could be worth checking out if you own a '73 Hardtop or Coupe only. They are offering repaired, new rubber replaced original motor mounts for sale. Best of luck there.
https://www.mustangsetc.com/73-mustang-302-351-motor-mount-rebuilt-fits-coupe-fastback/
Many thanks,
Greg.
UPDATE! (9 - 01 - 2024)
Hi again folks,
I have just been in contact with the tech rep from the Westar Company, to verify that the motor mounts for the 1973 Mustang, Convertible/ Hardtop and Coupe they are selling, will fit up OK with the original factory pedistal/ frame mounts. In both cases, they tell me that there should be no problems or issues with the correct fitment or fitup. On that basis, i will go ahead and order a set of motor mounts for myself with the expectation of having no problems.
I also asked about their '73 motor mounts not being metal captured. He did not know about that really, and could not provide an explanation as to why they designed and manufactured them that way. I feel that i am buying a quality product here, and hope that there would be no separation issues over the life of the mounts. He did say that Westar had been manufacturing these motor mounts for about 20 years or so. Wow! That puzzles me, as i wonder why the World has not heard of these products being available at all, over the years. I stumbled onto them by going to the Rock Auto website, and looked up my year model. It was that easy! In any case, i will give them a try and see how i get on. I will try and report back later on when i get them, and give another update on how i got on.
Greg.
My apologies if my discussion below has been covered before regarding 1973 engine mountings. I know there has been a lot spoken about 1,2,3 mounts in the past, but for me, i am still in the dark somewhat as to actually finding workable solutions to replacing the motor mounts in my '73 Convertible with a 302 Windsor engine.
I have been doing a decent amount of research lately on trying to buy new or used '73 Convertible motor mounts, without much luck at all. I have also been looking into the prospect of getting my original motor mounts repaired and replaced with new vulcanized rubber inserts, without much success either. I am aware that the '73 Convertible motor mounts and the '73 pedistal/ frame mounts are exclusive to 1973 Convertibles only. In my case, my original factory motor mounts appear to be in still good serviceable condition, but being rubber, they could go west in the future sometime, and i wanted to be prepared to replace them when necessary.
My research has led me to West Coast Cougars and a company called Westar in the USA. West Coast Cougar of course, deal in factory oem used parts for '73 Mustangs, but have not got any stock of used '73 Vert motor mounts.
So thinking of my fellow Forum members, i did more research and got together a simple chart explaining the various options for all 1973 Mustang owners, be it for Hardtops/ Convertibles or Coupes. (see my chart below).
The good news it would seem, is that this Westar company produces new rubber motor mounts catering for all '73 model owners. I hope i am not proved to be wrong here, so fingers crossed i guess.
So regardless of your engine, be it a 351 Clevo, a 351 Windsor, or a 302 Windsor, you can purchase motor mounts for your Convertible, Coupe or Hardtop. It breaks down that the Coupe and Hardtop run the same pedistal/ frame mounts, and need to be married up with the matching motor mounts. The Convertible pedistal/ frame base mounts are different, and also needs to match up with their own special motor mounts. The Westar company caters for both the Verts and the Hardtops/ Coupes by offering up two separate styled motor mount parts. (see my pics below). In my case, my frame mounts are in great condition, and don't need to be replaced. I am only interested in eventually replacing the motor mounts. If you need to replace your existing frame mounts for any reason, then West Coast Cougar is probably the place to go, as they sell the oem used frame mounts.
I will get in contact with Rock Auto/Westar who sells and deals in these Westar motor mounts and verify if they are indeed suitable for our '73 Mustangs. I notice their are plenty of E bay sellers, selling on these same Westar motor mounts as well. The asking prices are very cheap as well. If i run into any problems with product compatibility issues, i will report back to the Forum and update my situation. I also notice that the Westar mounts are not captured by design, as the factory '73's are. This should not present any issues i hope with buying this product. Also, West Coast Cougar recommend going to 1972 frame and motor mounts as a get out of jail solution if you can't find any 1973 motor mounts for your Convertible. That is a solution i will explore later on if i run into trouble with the Westar products.
Lastly, this website could be worth checking out if you own a '73 Hardtop or Coupe only. They are offering repaired, new rubber replaced original motor mounts for sale. Best of luck there.
https://www.mustangsetc.com/73-mustang-302-351-motor-mount-rebuilt-fits-coupe-fastback/
Many thanks,
Greg.
UPDATE! (9 - 01 - 2024)
Hi again folks,
I have just been in contact with the tech rep from the Westar Company, to verify that the motor mounts for the 1973 Mustang, Convertible/ Hardtop and Coupe they are selling, will fit up OK with the original factory pedistal/ frame mounts. In both cases, they tell me that there should be no problems or issues with the correct fitment or fitup. On that basis, i will go ahead and order a set of motor mounts for myself with the expectation of having no problems.
I also asked about their '73 motor mounts not being metal captured. He did not know about that really, and could not provide an explanation as to why they designed and manufactured them that way. I feel that i am buying a quality product here, and hope that there would be no separation issues over the life of the mounts. He did say that Westar had been manufacturing these motor mounts for about 20 years or so. Wow! That puzzles me, as i wonder why the World has not heard of these products being available at all, over the years. I stumbled onto them by going to the Rock Auto website, and looked up my year model. It was that easy! In any case, i will give them a try and see how i get on. I will try and report back later on when i get them, and give another update on how i got on.
Greg.
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