Back to Berettas after 15+ years

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Oki_Hero
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by Oki_Hero »

heavywoody wrote:Get a new motor mount, then get the polyurethane insert from here: http://www.rksport.com/product-p/rk-507.htm

That should help with your situation!
Will the lower mounts work ass well?


96 Corsica 2.2 3 speed auto (awaiting building)
heavywoody
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by heavywoody »

You'd have to get measurements, but anything is possible.


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EPfiffner
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

Oki_Hero wrote:Look in the wanted section I think someone is selling a set of cunucks can't remember the year though.

Thanks, I saw those. I made my decision more based on not breaking the car.

Also, I found this site that sells custom sized poly stock in different softness. Id assume it wouldn't take much to hack some of these up for custom mount inserts and the like. http://www.urethanestore.com/store/univ ... e-products
This is cool, I'll have to check it out more. Maybe something could even be cut up and used to make rear spring insulators.
heavywoody wrote:Get a new motor mount, then get the polyurethane insert from here: http://www.rksport.com/product-p/rk-507.htm

That should help with your situation!
Thank you! Never would have found it without your tip, I tried searching the forums.


EPfiffner
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Quarter panel to tire clearance

Post by EPfiffner »

It seemed like slow going this weekend. I've had tire rub on the drivers side quarter panel lip since I got the car.
I need new tires, so I was thinking of dropping to 215 45 17's to try and remedy it.
I decided to stick with the OEM springs, so I'm getting 225 45 17's again.
I pulled the shocks and springs and ground down the wheel well flanges as much as I could without getting in to the spot welds. Wheels on and off several times to check progress. They still rub if you bring the axle up high enough. I can't imagine that the springs wouldn't be bottomed out at this point though, so I'm just going to roll with it.
I cleaned the flanges all up, painted them with zero rust paint, and then shot some undercoating over it.
IMG_1940.jpg
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EPfiffner
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New rear shocks, front struts out

Post by EPfiffner »

I'm pretty sure these are the original shocks, wow. Zero resistance. I can't believe how much more stiff the gas a just's are. They look like a quality product, made in Japan so they have to be good!
I'm hoping between the new shocks and the trimming I did that I will be able to load the trunk up for vacation and not bottom out the whole way like we did when we took it to Ocean City.
While it was apart I cleaned and painted a few spots on the flat spot of the spring perch where it sticks out in to the wheel well. The way that is designed its no wonder they always rust.
I also cleaned and painted the shock mount reinforcing plates that go in the trunk. They were all nasty for some reason. I'll have to keep an eye on this to see of water is getting in.
It took a lot longer, but I'm trying to do everything I can to keep this car from rusting out.
IMG_1939.jpg
After I put the rear back together I pulled the struts. I have kyb's coming from RA since one of the sachs ones I bought was bad out of box, and it was the last one.

I had the car aligned last summer, and so disassembling it I discovered that the splines had been ground off of the knuckle bolts(!) They had called and said they had trouble getting the bolts out and charged me extra.
I was pretty pissed. I took it to a highly regarded shop, and I planned on taking it there again once I get the new struts on. Its like half mile from my house, and I don't want to drive the car far with the camber all out of whack.

I need to order new bolts I guess. I have to assume the splines are there for a reason. I ended up going in for the day because I was pissed about the bolts lol. They may have needed to grind them down, maybe they were all puffed up from rust, I don't know.

Edit: I searched around for new strut bolts, and what come as replacements are camber bolts, and they do not have the splines. I will re-use the original bolts: maybe I was upset for no reason that they had been ground smooth.
Last edited by EPfiffner on Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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3X00-Modified
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by 3X00-Modified »

heavywoody wrote:Get a new motor mount, then get the polyurethane insert from here: http://www.rksport.com/product-p/rk-507.htm

That should help with your situation!
good god! 1.10 for that poly insert... the price just keeps dropping...


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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

3X00-Modified wrote:
heavywoody wrote:Get a new motor mount, then get the polyurethane insert from here: http://www.rksport.com/product-p/rk-507.htm

That should help with your situation!
good god! 1.10 for that poly insert... the price just keeps dropping...
LOL I couldn't believe it was that cheap, I was reading old posts on here and guys were happy to pay $15-20.

I was going to order 3 or 4, but the shipping was going to be $30 for 3 qty, but only $10 for 1. So I ordered one.

I found some old very useful info from member Weba about making a plate to sandwich under the aluminum T, this will hold down the insert. (I have the earlier style mount, '93).

So thank you to Weba, I'm going to copy your design. I'm attaching a photo I found from way back.
Attachments
92-94mount-2.jpg


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woody90gtz
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by woody90gtz »

Hmm. I've never seen that before.


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
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3X00-Modified
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by 3X00-Modified »

No need for that on our year mount because it's capped off already. The older versions didn't have something that would hold the insert down.


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Front upper motor mount

Post by EPfiffner »

I went ahead and replaced this inner mount insert since it seems like the RK Sport poly insert is NLA. No official word yet, but the order has shown "processing" for at least a week.
There was rust from where the original rivets had let loose and the rubber mount was moving around so I cleaned it up and painted.
I then went to screw in the new mount with the countersunk screws that it comes with, and they bottomed out before the mount was secure to the housing.
I ended up cutting the bottom out of the existing mount and used it as a spacer after I cleaned it up and painted it.
IMG_1943.jpg
IMG_1944.jpg
Hard to see, but it is underneath the rubber mount insert.


EPfiffner
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New tires on the way

Post by EPfiffner »

Time for new tires? Man are these bald, I'm actually glad the car had an electrical problem that made me quit driving it (posted in diagnostics). I knew they were worn out, but when I saw cords I knew that was it.
IMG_1946.jpg
These are bridgestone potenzas that came with the car, expensive tires.
I ordered Sumitomo HTR A/S. I originally was going to go with summer tires, but there are a lot of days where its well below freezing, yet the roads are clear, and I will drive the car on those days. I'd probably be fine, but this isn't a "performance" car anyway. In my mind it is though, dammit!


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woody90gtz
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by woody90gtz »

I had the Sumittomo HTRZ 3s I think it was. Not much grip but they lasted forever. I actually tossed them with tread left just because they had no more bite.


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
EPfiffner
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

woody90gtz wrote:I had the Sumittomo HTRZ 3s I think it was. Not much grip but they lasted forever. I actually tossed them with tread left just because they had no more bite.
Thanks, I actually read that in your thread. Those were more of a summer performance tire I believe; these are a high performance all season so probably even less grip lol

You guys actually have decent suspension and brakes so I can see where a good tire would make a difference. I haven't been able to mod mine at all so for $72 ea these look like they will do well. Tire racks testing showed them to be second place to a kumho ecsta 4x (I think it was) and those are $95 each.


EPfiffner
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PCV hose

Post by EPfiffner »

Nothing too exciting. Pulled the upper plenum to replace the PCV hose that was hard as a rock. Don't want to chance that vacuum leak, I doubt the engine would even run with a leak that big. Checked over the vacuum lines under there and cleaned out around the injectors, there was dirt from over the years, and leftover sandblasting sand from when I repaired the cowl. Don't worry I taped over the intake ports before I blew everything out with the air hose.
Dorman p/n for the hose is shown, I like to document this stuff since I kinda stumbled across the premade hose, I thought I'd have to make my own.
IMG_1945.jpg
IMG_1947.jpg


EPfiffner
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Headlight housing repair

Post by EPfiffner »

I'm still waiting on a good pair of struts, so I have been fixing all kinds of things that have been on my mental list.
The drivers side headlight has always pointed at the ground. It took some kind of impact because the housing is all cracked.
I took it apart and there's a spring that holds tension against the adjuster screws. The spring was still there, it just was unclipped due to the damage.

It would have made more sense to just get another assembly, but why not fix it? I had everything I needed in my garage. I just cut a piece of sheetmetal and braced the cracked area, it worked out OK. I still had to turn the adjusters quite a bit to get the light to look halfway aligned.
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