Cab Mounts?

[Donbarnes]

I have new carpet ordered for my 72, and realized my rotten cab mounts need to be replaced before the carpet goes in.. What is the minimum that can be disconnected to get them in? Any way I can ease it up from the back far enough to get them in without removing the front bumper and radiator, disconnecting steering etc? Thanks..

[In The Ten Ring]

Are you talking about the rubber bushings between your cab and frame or the steel mounts on the frame itself?

I have replaced my rubber cab to frame bushings and I would love to help you. There are numerous threads on the subject here.

[69chevytrucker]

you dont need to remove any thing just unbolt the cab mounts raise the cab like a half inch with a jack from solid points under the floor and change one side at a time way easy once you start.

[Donbarnes]

Don't even need to disconnect the shift linkage? Seems like that would need to be readjusted anyway after putting in new mounts..Yes, its the rubber mounts..

[In The Ten Ring]

So it is the bushings you are talking about!

Here is what I did:

I bought the kit from Classic Heartbeat.

Remove your seat and gas tank (I believe both need to be out).

Spray the two caged nuts of the rear bolts with ZEP 45, PB Blaster, or some other break free over the course of a few weeks. You do not want to break a bolt off. Do the same with the nuts on your front mount bolts (nuts will be underneath the frame on the front).

Remove one side's nut and rear bolt.

Take a dremel tool and carefully cut out the spot welds holding down the front bolt to the floor of the cab. Wear safety googles. If you don't have spot welds you can have a welder come in and give you spot welds so that this step wasn't a waste of time for me to type. Not all assembly plants tack welded these bolt heads but mine did.

Block up underneath with wood and jack up that side so you can replace your old bushings with new ones. I used rubber as I read that poly bushings make for a hard ride.

Now my truck had rotated some degress to the left, which made it impossible for me to replace one side at a time. If that happens you'll have to remove one of the other side's bolts, have both sides on wheeled jacks, and use a clamp underneath the cap to rotate it around to line up the cab holes with the frame holes. I had to do this.

Put in your new bushings on that side and then do the other.

You'll need a second person to hold a wrench on the front bolts (why they were tack welded in the first place).

These bolts have a torque rating but I couldn't get my torque wrench to read properly, and Wes at Classic Heartbeat told me to "tighten until the washer is touching the bushing then go 1 more full turn."

I reused one rear bolt but replaced the other. The replacement bolt wasn't pointed like the original and I could not find the caged nut with it so I turned the bolt tip on a grinding wheel to a point and then it was easy.

Are you still awake?

[NorCalC20LWB]

Great write up, I will be doing this next also. Do you have to remove the radiator to replace the core support bolts? Also, if you do not remove the worn core support bushings while replacing the cab bolts wont there be fender/door alignment issues?

[In The Ten Ring]

Originally Posted by NorCalC20LWB

Great write up, I will be doing this next also. Do you have to remove the radiator to replace the core support bolts? Also, if you do not remove the worn core support bushings while replacing the cab bolts wont there be fender/door alignment issues?

Oh goodness, that's right! I forgot, yes, one has to replace the bushings underneath the radiator core support also.

I have my radiator and core support out at the moment and getting the new bushings in there is coming up, but I am still finishing up my heater box and windshield waster pump install.

My core support was so rusty, I had to cut part of the passenger side inner fender from it and grind the head off the passenger side core support bolt (where that side's frame bushing is). I have a new (OEM) core support all painted up and ready to do in along with a NOS fender and Key Parts inner fender. I have the two bushings for there.

I can post pics later, when photobucket decides to stop been so difficult.

[tdangle]

I replace my last week. Just unbolted the rear on one side, pulled carpet back to access the front bolt head and removed the front on the same side. Used my floor jack to lift the cab and slipped the new bushings into place. repeat for the other side. Probably took an hour. Didn't need to remove the seat or tank.

[Donbarnes]

Thanks everyone, doesnt sound too bad if they arent rusty..

[In The Ten Ring]

Better safe than sorry when it comes to breaking off bolts of any kind.

Some guy on this forum broke the head off his rear cab mount bolt and I don't know if he ever figured that one out.

Better not to have that problem in the first place. I sprayed ZEP 45 (a better product than PB Blaster) on my a couple times a week for a couple of months until I got around to actually doing the job.

Here is a pic of what my bushing job.



How I rotated the truck to line up for the new bolts (bushing rotted away pulling the cab counterclockwise.



Cutting out one front bolt's tack weld.



Old bushing (original).



What was left of the four old bushings.



New bushing.



I had a local machine shop make me up some new shims, which I hit with rust converter before the install. I could have painted them too I guess.

[snipescastle2]

What ever you do, don't buy the poly bushings! I had to shim up mine in order to make the body lines meet! Plus, they squeak like crazy....just sayin'
Ben

[mikelcobb0@gmail.com]

Great pics and descriptions! I am about to order mounts from Classic heartbeat but have a minor question. My truck a 67 C30 one ton has the Dairy Queen style rear rubber mount. The photo in CH shows it so I should be good to go but they have two options after that. Steel bed or wood bed. Anybody have experience with the difference besides 10$ and some washers?

https://www.classicheartbeat.com/pro...eel-bed-floor/


https://www.classicheartbeat.com/pro...ood-bed-floor/

I forgot to say I do not have a bed or know what might have been on it.

I'm leaning to the wood because the radiator mounts have the wedge shaped lock plate.