Changing body bushings 81 Elky

[rogus]

I hope this is the right thread to post this on. Does anybody know of a good video out there about how to separate the body and frame just enough to remove body bushings? Not looking to do a frame off and don't know yet if I'll have access to a lift when I do this.

 

[64nailhead]

No video, but do 1/2 of the car at a time. You’ll be shocked how much the frame flexes when it’s not attached to the body.

By half I mean the front half (2 on each side) and then all the remaining on both sides. The hardest part is if you need to fix a frame mount or break bolts off in the body

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

You can use a floor jack and a board to lift part of the body off thd frame at a time. Passenger side #2 mount is a very common rusty spot as the HVAC dumps water right on it.

 

[rogus]

No video, but do 1/2 of the car at a time. You’ll be shocked how much the flexes when it’s not attached to the body.

By half I mean the front half (2 on each side) and then all the remaining on both sides. The hardest part is if you need to fix a frame mount or break bolts off in the body

Thanks, need all help I can get.

 

[rogus]

You can use a floor jack and a board to lift part of the body off thd frame at a time. Passenger side #2 mount is a very common rusty spot as the HVAC dumps water right on it.

Ok will give it a shot, Thanks.

 

[-dw-]

I did mine one side at a time with a floor jack yrs ago. First I worked on the bolts. The trunk bolts broke off and had to cut the floor open to drill them out from the top. The middle bolts all threaded out. I left the core support bolts alone. I believe I jacked up each side with a 12in 2x4 along the pinch weld. Iirc the parking brake cable needs to be disconnected tp jack up the drivers side high enough.

 

[rogus]

I did mine one side at a time with a floor jack yrs ago. First I worked on the bolts. The trunk bolts broke off and had to cut the floor open to drill them out from the top. The middle bolts all threaded out. I left the core support bolts alone. I believe I jacked up each side with a 12in 2x4 along the pinch weld. Iirc the parking brake cable needs to be disconnected tp jack up the drivers side high enough.

Thanks, will give it a shot.

 

[bruisedbanana79]

highly recommend using some penetrating oil for a week or two ahead of time. I just did mine on my el Camino. The very rear bolts had holes in the bed that i could soak the bolts through. For lifting the body you want to get all of the bolts removed first and then thread in the bolts on the side you aren’t working on just a few threads. I used a floor jack and a 2x4 on its edge to left the side I needed to work on. #3 bushing is probably the hardest since it has a nipple on the body to locate the body to the frame. Also had to remove the bolt holding the brake lines to the frame up front in order to lift the body high enough. Final tip is to remove the wheel wells to inspect the frame and make it easier to soak those bolts since they get the most amount of water

 

[64nailhead]

This repair is defined by whether or not the bolts come out easily. bruisedbanana79 ’s recommendation is a very good one. If the bolts all come out, then this can easily be done in less than a day.

 

[mc1984ss]

I found that there were dimples in the floor directly above where most of not all the body mounts were. I drilled a tiny hole in each of these dimples to squirt the penetrating lube into. I used a 2x6 on edge and lifted one side at a time with my jack. However make sure that the bolts are loose on the other side also