John Pirtle’s site is the best source of information on changing engine mounts, so follow this link.

I will just add some information I found whilst doing the job. Firstly, look at the pictures below to get an idea of what happens to worn out mounts. Pretty dramatic! The engine drops onto the crossmember and as it is then being supported by part of the chassis, it virates through the car. Surprisingly, not too badly, but very noticeable at 200and 3000rpm. These mounts are oil filled, and hideously expensive from Porsche. I bought mine from Porsche-Club Autosport. for just over half the price. They are identical, but do not come out of a Porsche box.

Porscha House
Park Lane
West Mids
B63 2QY        Tel  01384 410879

As you can see, the mounts collapse after time - about 12 years or 100,000 miles is usual. The vibration is caused by direct contact with the cross member. One of the American suppliers do a kit which is effectively a piece of high density rubber, jack the engine up and stick it between the sump and the crossmember. Hmm, I’ll let you decide! It would be a reasonable ‘patch job’, but the real answer is to do the job properly.

John Pirtles site is excellent for a step by step guide - follow the link above - there is no point in re-inventing the wheel. I had the use of a pit and a lift which makes life much easier. Here are some supplimentary notes:

1.Take the front wheels off. I thought I could get away with leaving them on, and when you drop the lower suspension arms it’s putting far too much weight on the upper links. The wheels nuts are then nigh on impossible to undo.

2. My rack suuport plate ‘tee’ bolts had been attacked by a wild animal at a dealership and two were sheared. I made som more out of stainless steel as they see the worst of the water corrosion.

3.Some of these 19mm (hex) bolts are mighty tight - have a good quality socket and long handle ready. If you round the heads off it can be a time consuming affair getting it all apart. For the same reason, if you are just jacking the car off the deck, get it as high as possible to give yurself enough leverage.

4.The biggest bastard bolt is the upper crossmember cross bolt (axis along the length of the car) on the offside, as the steering column UJ gets in the way - I think it is more awkward on RHD cars for some reason (Pirtles job was on an LHD U.S. car). The bolt on the other side is easier.

5.When you come to lift the crossmember back in place be aware that the upper wishbone internal support  bracket acts as the  guiding tube between the crossmember sides, and just hauling the crossmember up on the lower bolts will easily distort it and cause the holes to mis-align, making replacing these bolts a nightmare (I had to undo the strap support which goes to the inside of the upper wishbone, feed the bolt through and then re-tighten everything) See the PET view below

6. Note that there are 4 bolts holding each mount to the engine, and they are differing lengths.

7. The crossmember does not come completely away - I think the rack gets in the way, just lower and twist it enough to get the mount assemblies clear.

8. Make sure you have ample tea, elastoplast, patience and penetrating oil available. A second person helps at times, even if it is only to abuse shout at!