Just swapped to urethane body mounts. Very impressed

[INSIDIOUS '86]

I just put in some new urethane body mounts on my swb fleetside. I have to say I was apprehensive about whether or not they would make my already stiff shopping cart truck worse. Glad to find they may have helped that a little actually. The install was fairly easy. With no problems you should be able to get them done in an hour and a half. I had problems with my rear passenger body mount spinning the retaining nut so I fixed that real quick by cutting a whole in the rear of the cab behind the seat. A few quick welds and it came off like butter. My truck is an 86 and the original bushings are in great shape. I took one side loose and jacked up the cab and slid them out and lowered the cab again with the bolts on but a lil loose for some wiggle for jacking up the other side. Once all four was in I tightened them all down. Core support was the same way.

As for my truck. I have a huge 1-1/4 one ton sway bar up front itch urethane middle and rubber outer bushings and an after market 1-1/8ths sway bar in back that's urethane mounted as well. Front has a performance alignment with 7.5* castor and -1* camber and 1/16th per side toe out with bilsteins in all four corners assisting in getting the 6-8 drop to handle like a small car. My setup definitely will find any improvement or not with changes in susp.

My initial drive I found the steering more responsive to input and cornering was real flat. Reaaaalllly flat haha. The sway bar can do it's job more effectively without the frame flexing like laffy taffy. I went down a bumpy horribly paved road and a extensively cracked and tar repaired road expecting the change in my glove box to come shooting out...it didn't. A little rattle and you can feel the bumps still but they were more controlled and feedback through the steering was much improved. My guess is without the frame flexing the rubber body bushings acting like a beer belly getting slapped with shock waves going back and forth back and forth like an aftershock that the urethane ones get rid of that effect and allows the suspension to do it's job properly.

On the highway here we have huge ruts in the center lanes from retarded big rig drivers. My steering box is loose as a plastic bag in the wind at center. Usually these ruts make my truck dart around. Well not as much anymore. Once again I suspect the lack if frame flex is keeping the alignment closer to spec.

All in all I never expected the bushings to effect the handling feel and behavior of the truck so much. I drive my truck pretty damn hard and have all the supporting modifications so others may not have quite the same effect on your truck. But for less than $100 it was a great investment in my eyes.