Wheel hop

Do any of you guys get wheel hop? I get it sometimes at the right rear at about 2500 to 3000 RPM in high gear under moderate load. I've got a 2275 Scat motor with a freeway flyer trans mounted in the standard type 1 fashion. Will an Empi trans support correct the problem?
Thanks: Howie

Check the trans mounts .....

Howard,
What do you consider wheel hop? At that rpm in 4th gear, does your engine produce enough power to break tires loose? Isn't wheel hop what you experience with a Hard Launch when everything shutters and starts chattering and bouncing,especially when you don't have adequate trans/motor mounting?
The trans mount kit you asked about will make everything hook up better, but at the cost of noise and vibration transmitted to the frame via the (more) solid mounts.
There is another alternative to those mounts. Gene Berg makes a mount that bolts toward the middle of the trans(near the transmission portion of the transaxle) that adds another rubber mount point.
There is a similar mount that bolts to the same place that's simpler to install.
http://www.mooreparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=AC311204&Category_Code=TTRANTS

Greg

Thanks for your suggestions, Greg. I have plenty of HP to make the right rear hop in that load situation. In fact, I can take off from a dead stop on a level surface in second gear easily. 170 HP in a 1600 LB car. I think the support shown on the link you provided will do the trick. I'll give it a try.
Howie

Howard, it would seem you have a problem other than what one would call wheel hop.

Wheel hop usually occurs only in first gear under very heavy accelleration. Motor mounts flex and or the suspension system is basically overpowered under these curcumstances. The wheel will actually hop up and down, and the net is usually broken parts...

Since you are having a problem in 4th gear under moderate acceleration it is not what is traditionally called wheel hop. You may have a serious vibration under those circumstances, but not "hop".... I would start off suspecting either carb syncronization or carb problems on one side of your engine....

Jim; I'll check it out. Why would it happen only in 4th gear while gently accelerating? And why would the carb on the right side cause the right rear to hop?
Howie

Is it wheel hop or is it the clutch chattering. You have a highway cruising trans which most likely has a low ratio 4th gear. You cruise at 65mph and the drop to 50mph.... accelerate back up to 65 mph you get a bucking feeling like wheel hop. Try to down shift to lower gear and see what happens. The only other thing I could think the problem is a bad shock. Poor rebound.

There's a pretty good chance that the nose cone on your tranny is bobbing up and down under load. I asked my mechanic pal Jim to weld a tranny plate in to encompass the lower four bolts. It's made of .25 hard steel and fits between the frame horns on the bottm side. My tranny will never, ever slip forward or have any vertical travel again.
Bonus, it'll always slide to the same point if I take it out for maintenance or a good scrubbing.
As for the shifting into fourth question, my theory is that you probably shift up from 5500 RPMs in first down to 4000 in second, 5500 or 6000 down to 4000 from second to third and from 6000 to 3200 or so in fourth. That's a really big drop, and that's why I'll bet the nose cone pops up predictably and makes the noise you described.
My test would be repeating your 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 shifting habits in a parking lot at different RPMs. See if the bump persists.
This guy -- who's re-doing a Bug, has a different thingie on the front of his frame horns, but since I don't have photos of mine available yet ...
Look closely at the sixth photo down, and you'll see it welded to the chassis.

http://www.cirkut.com/bug/week5.html

Howard,

Sounds like your front trans mount is shot. Do what Greg suggests.
I put a Gene Berg trans mount, part #GB643, on my car about 8 years ago and cured the problem. Be sure you replace all 3 stock trans/motor mounts for proper placement, before you install the Berg mount.

Good Luck, Have Fun.

I've got the same motor in my Vintage wide body and the power comes on really strong at about 5,000 rpm but it is very smooth and manageable. If you are getting a wheel vibration it is not because you broke the tires loose. Even with the narrow tires of a standard model you should not have wheel spin, certainly not in 4th gear, it's not the engine power.

This is a detail shot of the thing I was trying to describe. It's a ham-fisted attempt at exactly the same thing Greg and Joel found for you, and a great deal uglier than the one they suggest. You're better off going with their advice than trying to make one of these -- especially without an ace-motor-mechanic man and a plasma cutter on standby.
Sorry for any confusion I might have created, fellas.

Thanks to all for your help. Jim, the carbs check out to be in balance. Joe, the clutch is good and grabs well. Cory, Joe and Joel, the front (nose) trans mount is soild. When I get the vibration, I can shift down and accellerate out and it goes away. Cory, I took your advise and did a early monday mornins Walmart parking lot exercise and got no vibrations. What I think i've got is a bad gas shock on the right rear which I will soon check out as Joe suggests. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks Again: Howie

Howie, You'll need to pull the shock off to hand test it.

Howard,

You have a very high class problem. I'll gladly swap my 1600cc stock motor with you to solve it. :)

George

Guys, I put regular VW oil shocks on her and the problem went away. Mechanic thought that the car is too light for gas shocks and I guess he was right. Thanks all for helpful input.
Howard

Poor rebound on the shock. If we still had the shock dyno we could chart the rebound based on the cars corner weight. I wish I didn't get rid of the fun toys.

George; did you ever get your jumpy tach fixed? I finally did; check the "Jumpy Tach" post.

Ricardo,

my tach still jumps occasionally, even after it was replaced...