Havent been on here in a while but am about to start cleaning up the TT and remember a job I meant to do some while ago. It was to install (as a preventative measure) some reinforcement plates on top of the rear strut towers as the E31 is prone to tear the metal especially with a modified suspension. I think Gerry (Phoenix) in the UK was making them? I "think" I actually bought a set but cant locate them. Anybody got a set for sale? I also seem to remember BMW having a strut reinforcement fix but that had to be welded in from underneath and I dont want to get into that.
So, anybody got a set or are they still available?
92 Dinan Stage III 850 Twin Turbo (1 of 4)
625 Hp on 93 pump gas @ 14 psi 660 ft lbs torque
I ordered a set from Gerry last month along with some SS brake lines and I hope they show up next week. His shop was down for two weeks during the Xmas break. He said he always has plates in stock.
In the meantime I found plates offered by Vorshlag in Dallas but I have not measured the 850 and contacted the shop to see if they will fit. Maybe someone here can confirm fitment.
https://vorshlag-store.com/collectio...nforcement-kit
Gerry's plates, Order from Wuffer, You'll get them a lot faster.
Hurt
Current project working on the E31 rebuild.
1992 BMW 850i, 1995 E31 840ci, 2008 E90 M3, 2008 750Li
Nope, do not have them any longer, nor does Max Lumens. Order directly from Gerry in the UK.Gerry's plates, Order from Wuffer, You'll get them a lot faster.
http://www.phoenixmotorsport.co.uk/
91 850 (Panzer), 2012 Mini Cooper Countryman (WifeMobile) www.wuffer.ca
How much are the plates from Phoenix?
I can't seem to find them on the website.
edit: and what are the symptoms if the current shock tower mount is gone/cracked?
Mike Barrett
94 850CSi, Hellrot over silbergrau dunkel/silbergrau hell
96 850Ci, Oxfordgrun over silbergrau hell
Gerry does have the plates. He is shipping mine this week! $69.95 to cover the parts and shipping to me here in Texas. I also ordered some ss brake lines too. Expensive to ship from the UK.
Try: gspeechley@phoenixmotorsport.co.uk or gerryspeechley@msn.com
gjg (et al),
Do you mean the e46 plates, such as these: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...hoCEwYQAvD_BwE
Thanks for the suggestion.
Gary-
Gary Knox
'97 BMW 840 Ci
'03 MB SL55 AMG
'07 Mini Cooper S hatchback
'09 Aston Martin DB9 Volante
'13 Audi A8
'90 MB 560 SEC and '94 Porsche 928 GTS recently departed but long enjoyed
50 or so others over the past 70 years of driving
No, the E31 rear plates are very different, and I don't recall any other model that would work - just another "exclusive" part.
'93 850Ci - Mineralweiß Metallic
2001 740iL - Titansilber
ALPINA B7 -Alpinweiß III
...the price of cool ain't cheap!
I have a pair of Gerry/Phoenix plates that decided to not put on. PM me and they are yours. I'll probably even pay the postage as I'm a sucker for a needy 8er.
I am also looking for a set if any one has some.
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Nobody ever reads. They just say things.
My plates have found a good home
For those contemplating these plates, good thinking! They fit perfectly, and double the thickness where the shock mounts attach to the body. They also spread the load when the suspension is in full droop. Be smart, and push the short studs out of the upper shock mount using a socket and a vice. Buy some metric stainless steel bolts, and new swage nuts, or nylocks, so that they get a full purchase, as after you might try to install the plates you will see that the upper shock mount studs are too short. Also, the gasket between the mount and body is NLA, so run a bead of grey silicone to keep water out of the trunk. You will need the help of a friend to do the install, but then you will be Done! This is also a good time to replace those old shock mounts. You know you will never be Done! Have fun.
I didn’t see an issue with the studs. They’re pretty much perfect.
Swage nuts don’t really work unless there are at least a couple of threads showing past the nut. You might just remove the reinforcement plate, and then run that nut down on the stud for comparison. When I first did mine, I saw that the swage nut was just about even with the stud, but in fact was about a thread or more higher. So, I thought, locktite will be good enough, Nope. I’m the kind of mechanic that wants things installed so that they don’t cause me problems, especially suspension, and brakes. This is the reason that I installed mine with longer bolts. If somehow that upper mount were to come loose during a hard cornering, or evasive maneuver one might end up somewhere other than where he wanted to be.
I just don’t see that happening given the amount of thread engagement.
Search is your friend. It is your car, do as you think best, but check out this thread, and look at the photo in reply #43 showing the plates installed on the original shock mount studs. https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...forcing+plates
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