[mcneon]

Be careful and make sure the mount bolts stay tight. That style likes to slightly loosen the bolts over time and vibrate. You don’t ever really hear it it. But the bracket will completely wear thru the stud on the water pump.

Thanks for that observation, Jim. The mounting hole where the mount attaches to the water pump stud is counterbored on the front side to provide extra clearance between the nut and the water pump pulley. When I got my mount, that recess was full of schmutz; there had likely never been a nut on that stud. Also, the back side there had noticeable fretting corrosion from rubbing on the water pump boss. Judging by the amount of that wear, and considering that this was steel vs. aluminum, that situation had probably existed for the life of the previous installation. I doubt I'll ever put enough miles on my car to loosen things up, but it's definitely something to monitor.

 

[mcneon]

If anybody else wants to install one of the low-style mounts, here's a caveat. These mounts have rubber isolators for vibration control. And, since the alternator mounts to the compressor, it's electrically isolated from chassis ground, too - except for a 16 or 18 gauge wire connected to the alternator's D- terminal, not nearly heavy enough to carry the alternator's 45 amps. After a few miles, the wire connected to that terminal smoked and melted the rest of the alternator wiring. I'm hoping the alternator and regulator weren't damaged.

 

[alfavulcan]

If in the future you want a factory low mount the S3 Spider had the compressor low on the passenger side. It would need the engine front cover and crank pulley for an S3 plus the special Sanden SD507 compressor but it is a neat solution

 

[mcneon]

If in the future you want a factory low mount the S3 Spider had the compressor low on the passenger side. It would need the engine front cover and crank pulley for an S3 plus the special Sanden SD507 compressor but it is a neat solution

alfavulcan, I agree that would be a cool solution, but it's that shorty compressor that'a problem (and the fact that it has serpentine belt drive). Before I sold my Series 4 Spider a couple of years ago, I had to replace the compressor. I looked far and wide. Some sources claimed to carry it but were out of stock. Ultimately, I bought an SD508 and modified the bracket to fit it - cut it in two and welded in a strip of steel to make the compressor mounting dimensions correct. I participated in a thread about that started by pantera928 at the time. (a/c compressor woes.)

 

[alfavulcan]

alfavulcan, I agree that would be a cool solution, but it's that shorty compressor that'a problem (and the fact that it has serpentine belt drive). Before I sold my Series 4 Spider a couple of years ago, I had to replace the compressor. I looked far and wide. Some sources claimed to carry it but were out of stock. Ultimately, I bought an SD508 and modified the bracket to fit it - cut it in two and welded in a strip of steel to make the compressor mounting dimensions correct. I participated in a thread about that started by pantera928 at the time. (a/c compressor woes.)

The compressor is a challenge but the S3 used a v belt. The S4’s went with the serpentine

 

[mcneon]

The compressor is a challenge but the S3 used a v belt. The S4’s went with the serpentine

Gotcha.