Strut mounts

[GoKart]

I bought a new set of Bilstein HD's and H&R springs to put on my '94 964 C2, but I don't know whether or not the strut mounts have been replaced...

... as I look at them, the info shown on them is as follows:

131046/131056
ELASTMETALL
(it has the Porsche triangle) 6 LME
964/96534301802

Visually, they appear to be healthy. If there is any cracking, it is very small. The rubber looks to be flexible rather than hard/brittle. I also can't tell if they are the original strut mounts or not. Does anyone know? Maybe there's a paint marking that should be on them if they are original, for example?

A shop near me has some NOS strut mounts available for a very reasonable price, that are marked with the same part number, except it ends in "1" rather than "2" --- 964/96534301801. So does that make them older (in age, if not usage) than my current mounts?

I'm having quite a dilemma figuring out if I should go for new mounts, or if my current ones are quite new and perfectly usable.

Any help?

Thanks!

[porterdog]

I swapped my fronts last summer; the take-offs were the ones Hans or Udo installed in 1990. They looked good, and the rubber was nice and flexy, but one of the actual bearings was rough.

After 20 years of use I figured new ones were inexpensive.

[GoKart]

Here are some quick shots of my current mounts, installed:

[GoKart]

Also, my car has ~74k miles on it.

[rbogh901]

Originally Posted by porterdog

I swapped my fronts last summer; the take-offs were the ones Hans or Udo installed in 1990. They looked good, and the rubber was nice and flexy, but one of the actual bearings was rough.

After 20 years of use I figured new ones were inexpensive.

What was rough, the inner surface or the feel or what? How much do they cost?

I think most guys who replace their struts use the strut mounts that are already in there but, reading their write ups, maybe they just forget to mention new mounts. I'd certainly replace them if I thought they were toast.

[GoKart]

Originally Posted by rbogh901

What was rough, the inner surface or the feel or what? How much do they cost?

I think most guys who replace their struts use the strut mounts that are already in there but, reading their write ups, maybe they just forget to mention new mounts. I'd certainly replace them if I thought they were toast.

New front strut mounts are about $265 each....

I want to replace mine if they need to be replaced. But I am not the first and only owner of my car, and because my strut mounts look good (to me), I don't want to go spending $500+ extra if my current mounts are still in good shape with many years of life left in them. They might have been replaced in the last few years, but I don't know how to tell for sure.

[Vandit]

Once they're off the car, you'll notice how the whole top mount rotates freely on the strut assembly. If it does not rotate freely and smoothly, then consider replacement.

Depending on what you're trying to achieve w/ the car, you may consider upgrading to a sealed monoball solution such as those sold by Rennline. Price is in line w/ OEM, but it is a performance upgrade if you don't mind the degradation in comfort from the lack of rubber.

[rbogh901]

Just to clarify:

The upper shaft of the strut should rotate freely in the steel center piece seen here embedded in the red rubber ring?