Body Mounts

After I get the new spring bushings and shackles in and install the master cylinder I'll have to plan my next upgrade and I'm thinking new body mounts.

It doesn't look like it'd be that hard.

Anyone done it? and if so how hard is it and does it make that much of an improvement?

That's kind of a silly question since I'm thinking that out of about 13 or 14 mounts that I can see there are probably only 8 or 9 still on mine.

The rest are either missing bolts or missing the mount.

 

Actually the thought of lifting did cross my mind. I don't really know what I'd gain by lifting the body though. Ground clearance wouldn't increase so I don't know.

Are there any benefits to lifting the body, other than looks?

If I did, it might just be 1" or so.

 

Mine's already lifted about 1-1/2" (guessing) with an add-a-leaf kit. I have seen it raised a bit more while changing a tire and it does seem to look a bit better so I might go to a 1" body lift just for looks.

 

John: I think the FSM shows 14 mounts.

 

Yeah, I think I counted 14 too.

 

Mines only got 8!!!!!

 

Tony: There are 14. A lot of them had the rear 4 on the rear frame cover broken off. Mine only had 1 left and one missing. Then I found that there were 2 more in the center so I fabed up some L brackets, drilled the tub and bolted the brackets in with SS buttonheads.

 

Mine has 13 Where does the 14th go? AARRGGGHHH. 4 in the very rear (bumper) 2 in the bed area, 2 that access from underneath, 2 forward of that (1 in the toolbox 1 under the seat), 2 more ahead of that, then one under the fron grille. All holes are accounted for. HMMMM

 

Hey Johny -

Maybe that 14th one is the one that keeps it from sqeaking and groaning.

 

Yeah Bob, Lord knows it did plenty of that before I tore it down. be interesting to see how well it works whenit's back running.

 

John,
If you still have through the floor pedals, then you might run into problems with a body lift. When I changed mine, I actually gained a little height because my old rubber ones were either smashed flat or missing entirely. You will also find some pieces that look like tire tread that (I think) were from the factory. I changed all the hardware to stainless when I did it too.

 

James and Johnny,
I replaced 13, just as Johnny described! I'll try to upload some pics this week. If you find the 14th, tell me where it is.

John

 

What I did for mine was to use boat trailer rollers and then cut them down to size. One stick was used and it cost me 10 bucks. Hardware store for the bolts and your done. I did a tapered lift on my rig from 1 1/2 to 1/2 in the front and it worked out well.

 

I used the Prothane kit. It was dirt cheap, and very easy to install. If I can ever figure out how to upload all the pictures in one batch, I will do so. Maybe Sparky can tell me how, or I can email them to someone who can upload them as a batch. The ride, comfort and handling was a huge improvement. I eliminated all but two squeaks.

John