78 body mount bracket replacement?
- Thread starter Geo's66
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No need to replace the mounting brackets unless the inner hole is rusted out. If that is the case a simple .090" to .120" flat steel donut can be fabricated, welded in, then and welds ground down to make it like new again. Most of the holes are in the frame itself, so no real bracket to replace. Only bracket is the drivers side rear that hangs off the inside of the frame.
Be prepared though that depending on the condition the bolts can be rusted thin inside the bushings and break off as you try and loosen them. You may have some bolts stuck in the floating nut inside the body. The fix there is to cut a hole in the floor above and either fabricate a new flating nut & cage, or remove it entirely and use a large body washer and a locknut. You can then put a plug (if you used a hole saw through the floor), or make a sheetmetal patch to cover the hole you cut.
Be prepared though that depending on the condition the bolts can be rusted thin inside the bushings and break off as you try and loosen them. You may have some bolts stuck in the floating nut inside the body. The fix there is to cut a hole in the floor above and either fabricate a new flating nut & cage, or remove it entirely and use a large body washer and a locknut. You can then put a plug (if you used a hole saw through the floor), or make a sheetmetal patch to cover the hole you cut.
Thanks... Yeah, that happened on my chevelle.. What a pain... Just got the car and going thru it, the bushings are beat! Another question, is it possible to "jack" the body up to replace the bushings? How have you done this? I'd like to do these things before a complete tear down in the next couple years.
Yes you can jack the body up. I'd put a board or something under the body and try to put it under something strong on the body to raise it up. You can put a short piece of 4 x 4 on the floor jack and put it under the pinch weld or a longer one crossways under the main floor support under the car (under the back seat area).
Yes, these little projects always seem to snowball into more than what we ever intended to get into. good luck.
This is my same project in the coming weeks. Gbodyparts.com and Kiran performance both sell the frame repair washers I'd you need them alon with new body bolts
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