4 Wheel Drive/SUVs/79 jeep

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Expert: - 9/2/2004


Question
Hi Carl,
My father bought a 79 Cj. How much should he expect to pay for three new motor mounts and installation? He was charged close to $350 and has been told by another mechanic that he was seriously ripped-off. Lynda  

Answer
Lynda,

A set of polyurethane motor mounts cost, around $70 a pair, and stock replacements, around $30 a pair.  It shouldn't take a shop more than an hour, or 2 if they are slow.  With shop rates around here at $87 an hour, the job shouldn't have cost much more than $200 or so for stock replacements.  You can add another $20 if they replaced the transmission mount also.  If you want to check this out for your area, give a couple of other shops a call, and ask for an estimate.  Many shops will pull the cost of the repair out of a "flat rate" manualDon't tell them that the job was already done.

Carl

4 Wheel Drive/SUVs

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Carl Brandt

Expertise

Will discuss suspensions, lifts, lockers along with tire suggestions. Trail ratings and possible requirements needed for specific type of trails. Safety equipment and what you should carry with you. Certified off-road instructor. I am not a mechanic, and 4-Wheeling is a hobby, so if I can't answer a technical question it is due to my mechanical knowledge being related to vehicles that I have owned, or have worked on. I do not have manuals on all vehicles.

Experience

40 plus years of 4 wheeling in a variety of vehicles. At the present time, my major off-road rig is a 94 Jeep Wrangler with a spring over and a 1 1/2" suspension lift. This gives me a total lift of 7" or so. I have lockers front and rear. I have removed the track bars, and sway bar for maximum articulation. I am running a stock 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder with a Jacobs ignition along with a cold air high flow filter. It has 4.56:1 gears with a Dodge NV4500 transmission along with a 3.8:1 Atlas II transfer case. This gives me a final ratio of 105:1 in low gear/low range. Other vehicles I own, are a 96 Ford F-250 with a 6" lift, posi rear end, 36" Hummer tires, 5 speed with a fuel injected 460 ci engine, an 87 Samurai with an 8" lift, Ford 9" rear end with a spool, Chevy Dana 44 front end with an electric locker, 5.88 gears, 16% reduction in high range and a 6.5:1 low range with 35" Baja Claws, and a stock 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Trails I have run are the Rubicon (10 times), Dusey Ershim, Fordyce Creek trail, McGrew trail, several trails in Moab, Utah along with local monthly runs.

Organizations
Lost Coast 4x4's Cal 4-Wheel Corva UFWDA Blue Ribbon Coalition

Education/Credentials
Certified off-road instructor - Certificates in engineering/electronics

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