Replaced Transfer Case Mount - 07/07/05

Ever since I got the auto locker put in the rear diff the Samurai has skipped when going round tight corners on tarmac. I assumed this was just the way things should be but I've just found out that's not entirely true!

Whilst looking at my broken driveshaft boots the other day I realised that I could lift the rear end of the transfer box right up in the air. The original rubber mounting had broken into two pieces. I reckon whoever designed the mount was crazy, it relies on the block of rubber being bonded to a piece of metal. That's never going to last!

I decided to come up with my own version of the mount that would last much longer and could take the extra abuse I'm likely to give it. I looked around for solutions other people have come up with, there weren't many but one that did inspire me is the one that Rocky Road produce. They use polyurethane rings which sandwich the transfer case brackets so that all the forces are compression and it doesn't rely on anything being stuck together. A bolt through the centre holds everything together really strongly.

I didn't have access to any polyurethane but I do still have the old rubber bushes from my leaf springs. I cut the rim off of two bushes and then cut one of them in half which left me with one large and two small rings. I sandwiched those between large washers and held everything together with a long 8mm bolt. Here's the result!

I just can't believe the difference this has made! The transmission is so much quieter now and I reckon the truck accelerates much more smoothly. Going round tight corners you can still tell the tyres are scuffing but the transmission doesn't jump around anymore so the diff lock hardly bothers me. I might even try replacing the other mounts even though they're not broken!