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Received a Christmas gift from my son; an Energy Suspension Body Mount Bushing Set for my '73.
I went to YouTube to see what I could find AFA installation, and it looked like a body raise off the frame is in store. But the bushing kit instructions say this.
Has anyone lately tried doing the One-side-at-a-time method? I found a few forum threads dated a few years back, and they all pretty much lean to lifting the entire body off the frame instead. The car has resided in San Diego all it's life and all the suspension work I've done on it shows the frame to be relatively rust free. The car is finished as far as show presentation is concerned, and I don't have any entire-body lifting equipment.
Any thoughts on the way you went with your body bushing replacement would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks much.
It absolutely can be done one side at a time. I used lift straps and an engine hoist.
One big down side of doing it this way rather than removing the body completely is if any of the mounts need work, especially welding. I’m sure it’s still possible but no reason to make a hard job harder.
Merry Christmas,
You can do the mounts without lifting the body completely off. You'll need to loosen both sides and you can jack up under the rocker channel one side at a time with a floor jack and a 2x6 piece of wood. You change out the mounts one side at a time but don't tighten everything down until both sides are in place. I would disconnect the negative battery cable, the brake lines from the master cylinder, the #1 body mount ground strap, and loosen the steering column to steering coupler bolts. There is also a ground strap on the rear of the frame but it may have enough slack to leave attached. There is a body removal checklist that is very helpful on the internet from another forum that you can do a search for also.
Merry Christmas,
You can do the mounts without lifting the body completely off. You'll need to loosen both sides and you can jack up under the rocker channel one side at a time with a floor jack and a 2x6 piece of wood. You change out the mounts one side at a time but don't tighten everything down until both sides are in place. I would disconnect the negative battery cable,
I did one side at a time on a 75 and broke a bolt off in front of right wheel. Kind of same as a body lift on a 4x4. Power blaster is your best friend.
Received a Christmas gift from my son; an Energy Suspension Body Mount Bushing Set for my '73.
I went to YouTube to see what I could find AFA installation, and it looked like a body raise off the frame is in store. But the bushing kit instructions say this.
Has anyone lately tried doing the One-side-at-a-time method? I found a few forum threads dated a few years back, and they all pretty much lean to lifting the entire body off the frame instead. The car has resided in San Diego all it's life and all the suspension work I've done on it shows the frame to be relatively rust free. The car is finished as far as show presentation is concerned, and I don't have any entire-body lifting equipment.
Any thoughts on the way you went with your body bushing replacement would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks much.
Thank you sir!
This was what my forum search could not find.
Steve
You're welcome. Fyi, I find if I google my question(s) in various ways regarding C3 Corvettes it and typically will provide a lead(s) from the CF forum that someone has already asked leading to the answer I'm looking for.
Good Luck and be safe.
If you have not already done this job there is one little thing that you can do that will make removing the bolts a lot easier and could very easily save you breaking anything. Make up a mixture of 50% acetone and 50% auto transmission fluid. Use it as a penetrating fluid. Try maybe google this, in testing it was the most efficient penetrating fluid reducing removal torque substantially over shop bought products. I use it all the time and it works superb. Soak all the bolts a day or so before doing the job, it could save a lot of heartache. Good luck
I soaked all the bolts with pb blaster every few days for a couple of weeks before doing mine with the side to side method. I didn't break any bolts (had to cut one) and it is totally doable by one person. I did myself over a few days using a floor jack. I disconnected the steering coupler as well. Don't forget to align the body using the holes on the bottom of the door sills. 😁
Last edited by 76_vette_girl; Mar 25, 2019 at 06:57 AM.
If you have not already done this job there is one little thing that you can do that will make removing the bolts a lot easier and could very easily save you breaking anything. Make up a mixture of 50% acetone and 50% auto transmission fluid. Use it as a penetrating fluid. Try maybe google this, in testing it was the most efficient penetrating fluid reducing removal torque substantially over shop bought products. I use it all the time and it works superb. Soak all the bolts a day or so before doing the job, it could save a lot of heartache. Good luck
I have NOT!
But I will. Really, I will. Other things have taken higher priority and, well, you folks probably know.
I've heard of this home brew before and have yet to try it. Thanks for reiterating the mixing ratio.
Body Mount Installation
I have NOT!