2 replies to this topic

[humph]

My Riley is currently having a new front end. The car, originally hydrolastic, was converted to dry by a previous owner using a rubber mounted subframe from a post 76 car. It had the rubber mounts at the front and rear of the frame when it came apart. I’m being told it doesn’t need the front rubber mounts as the front panel mounts directly to the frame in the same way as the hydro frame once did. Is this correct? Will i end up with a misligned front panel? Should i really have rubber mounts at the back of the frame and solids mount at the front?

Thanks in advance.

[nicklouse]

fitting a single bolt dry subframe to a twin bolt body shell has more issues than you mention.  has it had suitable support tube fitted so the big bolt clamps correctly and compresses the rubber without crushing the cross-member. then there is the suitable reinforcement plates for the rear rubber mounts.

now to your question the front mounts a very good question it should be fairly obvious as there will or will not be a gap that the mount would or would not go into. I suspect that there will be no room unless you use a later Mini front panel as base to remake the Riley front. here we have the next problem i would not solid mount the front if the rest is now rubber mounted.

[humph]

Thanks for the response Nick.  I've found the issues you mention online in articles and with the exception of the cross-member tubes I think I have them in hand. The car has been running the single bolt set up for some time before I took it apart and currently there is no sign of any deflection to date. Because the front doesn't appear to need the rubber teardrops I will be looking to use the Minispares solid mounting kit for the rear mounts and the top of the towers, the stuff I've read believes that this helps prevent any cross member issues.

 

As for the front mount issue the car doesn't seem to need the front mounts as it goes back together, but they were on it before with the previous front panel.  There were no obvious mods to the previous panel, but it was scrapped when it came off so can't tell.