Tom H
Member
Does anyone know of a good source for front strut mounts? It looks like the only one currently available is the e12 mount, p/n 31331101663, which others have said is interchangeable. The prices I'm finding online seem wildly high.
Front Upper Strut Mount / Guide Support
- Thread starter Tom H
- Start date
Guide support
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Yes, e12 fits and has been much cheaper as well. It will have the shorter mounting studs so if you still have the 5/8” spacers you just remove or you can buy longer studs. Search that part number in the US too.
I went through this sticker shock couple years ago. Searched this forum and found suggestions that lead me to order p/n 31331106060. These have longer mount studs. You can either punch these out and install new "pins" listed as 31336765744 or get out your Dremel and cut these long ones to match the short ones on your originals. In my case, BMW dealer ordered them in from Germany, and I trimmed to fit. Today, xxx060 seems to be about 2.2X less cost than the xxx663 "guide support". Good luck. Mike
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Tom H
Member
Thanks all. 31331106060 and 31331112666 do look to be NLA. I've contacted several places that still list them, and all have said that they can non longer get it from BMW. 31331101663 does still to be current, and they are $300-$400 each.
Tom H
Member
Also,
The company linked by sfdon does not currently ship to the US. They didn't give me a reason, but I'd imagine tariffs, as the last thing I bought from wallothnesch was hit with a 50% fee on delivery.
The company linked by sfdon does not currently ship to the US. They didn't give me a reason, but I'd imagine tariffs, as the last thing I bought from wallothnesch was hit with a 50% fee on delivery.
From a price and utility perspective it might be time to consider negative camber plates as an option. I believe that Carl Nelson may have some (I haven't used) and KMAC in Australia sells some as well.
I have camber plates available
Tom, try calling Jim at Mesa Performance. He often has parts you cannot find anywhere else. Good luck. Mike
How often do these even need to be replaced? I have done so in the past when they were reasonably priced even though the old ones seem fine but now.....
So, do you think my mounts could be made serviceable? I made this video a day after buying my coupe with the wheels off the ground. Since then the car has been patiently waiting for me to get on with its restoration so I'm not driving it like this.
Since my first impression was that the balls and race were likely damaged from the blows of potholes and rough roads, I have purchased good used mounts from a forum member. But if these could be cleaned up and kept for spares, that would be good.
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That looks pretty loose, I doubt that grease would take up the slack that I am seeing between the bearings and the race.
Those are shot.
Tom H
Member
This is a good point. Thanks for bringing it up. I see K-MAC has a few options:
BMW 191716-1J FrontE3 ‘7’, E9, 2500, 2.8, 3.0/ 2/ 3 (’68-’77) . (Pair)Top Strut Mounts Camber & Caster adj. (Stage 1- Street) – K-MAC Camber Caster Strut & Bushings Worlds Largest Range
K-MAC Longest Established, Most Experienced, Biggest, Quickest adjustment. Fix it right 1st. time. Resolve Costly, premature excess edge wear or track days reduce understeer.
k-mac-camber-kits.com
and also this from MTS-Technik https://mtstechnik.com/en/products/adjustable-camber-caster-plates-front-bmw-2500-3-3-e3-40679.html
Tom H
Member
I had considered this, as my rubber is decent, but on one of mine the strut bushing is not square with the rest of the mount, and I think it might be causing binding when turn.