SolaraGuy.com

i don't know about the the 5sfe, all the applications i've seen jim's on is the 1mzfe

jim's is much stiffer than OEM gas strut mounts. it is literally a steel rod w/ two bushing instead of a gas strut. the bushings damper the amount of movement so much more than the gas strut. it is a solid support, and the engine movement is so little that you will actually notice a slight amount of chassis vibration that wasn't there previously (solid enough to transfer most of the excess vibration to the frame).

as far as buying jim's torque rod, i don't know if jim is even taking orders for group buys. dawgz can call to check, but that's still no guarentee that it will be do-able.

argh > all solara OEM torque rods are gas struts. it seems that the one i posted (above) from jc whitney is a strut-type torque rod, also. the difference is probably that the jc whitney one most likely has a stiffer strut (when i pulled my OEM torque rod, it was really very easy to move the strut up and down by hand). the difference between these and jim's is that jim's is a heim joint (the thing on the end of the jc whit pic) connected to a steel rod, then two nuts (as a locking mechanism), then a washer (to keep the bushings supported), then the two bushings (to absorb vibration and damper the movement), then another washer to cap off the bushings, then another two nuts to lock the assembly in place.

jim's torque rod is set up like this (only it is supposed to be verticle, w/ the J at the bottom)

J-----nnWBxBWnn--

J = heim joint
- = steel rod
n = nut (two together making a lock-nut)
B = bushing, which acts as a shock absorber
W = washer
x = where the mount attaches to the transmission
BWnn-- = the top portion of the assembly; bushing, washer, nut-nut, and the rest of the steel rod poking out the top.

I suppose it would help shifting, etc?

Sounds like another one of those rare parts that can't be gotten anymore?

Well I have one solid support that helps shifting well is makes shifts pull harder I'l be willing to make them if there is any interest

I'd be interested in getting one. I suspect looking at a stocker, a set of heim joints and perhaps a turnbuckle + other hardware could be purchased from hardware suppliers and a kit put together. Tightening up the chassis and reducing engine movement should put more power to the wheels and sharpen up shifting, thats what alot of race cars have. I have a manual and I noticed a minor improvement with the whiteline engine mount and steering bushings. Perhaps getting a stock one from a junk yard would be a good stating point.

Let me know if this will happen I'd buy one.

A "Heim" (also called "rose") joint is just a method of attaching something at a slight angle - it has nothing to do with what the thing itself is for.
The solid rod would transmit engine vibration continuously if it didn't have some form of bushing to isolate the ends. A straight Heim joint is all metal-to-metal and will buzz all the time, slightly less noisy is polyurethane bushings, then rubber bushings, and even these come in different sizes and durometer hardness to tune the effect.
You could probably make a better strut from the worn original by simply welding an adjustable rod between the 2 existing ends and renewing the factory bushings.
If you're selling the car and you only want to prevent the engine from kicking over too much, just use 1/8" braided wire cable and 2 U-clamped ends between the chassis and some bolt on the engine. Adjust the length until the engine can't touch when you rev it.

panic wrote:A straight Heim joint is all metal-to-metal and will buzz all the time, slightly less noisy is polyurethane bushings, then rubber bushings, and even these come in different sizes and durometer hardness to tune the effect.

So, would polyurethane bushings in the stock strut give a better hardness and try to retain stock NVH properties while preventing excessive engine rocking?

"better hardness and try to retain stock NVH properties while preventing excessive engine rocking"

It will have a narrower rock limit than the rubber (they don't crush down as far), but the NVH will go up somewhat - how much I can't predict. They can be adjusted by capturing them with thick washers (slightly increased stiffness) or drilling holes parallel to the stud (reduced), but this is all empirical, there's no "do this - get that" calculation. You can also use rubber on only 1 end, splits the difference, but that rubber will get beat up quickly since it's taking all the compression.

My own preference (but not done to my 06) is a rubber mount, solid rod, with added limit by wire. The wire only touches when the engine is at full travel so it transmits no noise etc. under normal conditions, but you can tighten it quite a bit in a few minutes if you auto-cross etc.

panic wrote:"better hardness and try to retain stock NVH properties while preventing excessive engine rocking"

It will have a narrower rock limit than the rubber (they don't crush down as far), but the NVH will go up somewhat - how much I can't predict. They can be adjusted by capturing them with thick washers (slightly increased stiffness) or drilling holes parallel to the stud (reduced), but this is all empirical, there's no "do this - get that" calculation. You can also use rubber on only 1 end, splits the difference, but that rubber will get beat up quickly since it's taking all the compression.

My own preference (but not done to my 06) is a rubber mount, solid rod, with added limit by wire. The wire only touches when the engine is at full travel so it transmits no noise etc. under normal conditions, but you can tighten it quite a bit in a few minutes if you auto-cross etc.

Got any pictures on this wire thing?

I'm going to post a diagram and list the bits needed on my mods page in 1-2 days, check back to see it.

Conversely, if individuals with 1MZs still have a deisre for Jim's Torque Rod, I actually contacted him recently, and he stated that if someone were to gather an interested group, he could get another batch of them made for you all. It's just a matter of someone organizing the GB properly.

BTW, I'm currently making them, so wait a week and they SHOULD be ready, no group buy, no amount needed.