I expect that I have to replace the body mounts (not the brackets) on my 69. The existing mounts are pretty much shot (rotted away). Should I go with the standard kit, or is there something better I can use for a smoother ride. I've heard mention of using a 77 body mount kit. Are these better? Are they completely interchangable?

How much time can I expect to spend to replace them all, and is it a difficult job? Any gotchas??

Thanks.

 

I just did this job on my '71.

The 73-up rubber bodymounts will improve ride, reduce noise and lessen the risk of fiberglass cracks. I went with the rubber mounts on mine.

You have to disconnect the front bumper support from the frame, as well as the rear bumper brackets. Also disconnect the neg battery cable from the frame, steering column (ragjoint) and the master cylinder from the booster. I also had to loosen (but not remove) the parking brake.

Depending on the condition of your body mounts, loosing of the 8 bodymounts may be as easy as removing the bolts or a nightmare. On mine the rear-most mounts (#4) were rusted and hard to remove. All the other ones came out easily. YMMV.

I jacked the body up about 4". The mounts installed easily except #3 on both sides. The double metal at these mounts (birdcage) were misaligned and the mounts didn't fit. I had to dremel the holes until the mounts slid in.

All in all, not that big of a job. Just be careful when you lift the body. I used 3 jacking points. One jack on each side about 2/3 back under the doors and one jack up front. Go slowly and make sure everything clears.

Also the body will sit 3/8" higher on the rubber mounts so the steering column will have to be adjusted down slightly. I loosened the column mounting bolts on the firewall and pushed the column down. There's enough adjustment to make it line up.

 

Zwede, I'm glad that someone finally did the job, I've been wanting to do it for quite a while, but it seems like several weeks ago Dr. R, stated that there was no way that later model rubber (or Poly?) mounts would work on an earlier C-3.
I was certain that it had been done before but couldn't find any past posts that described how it was done.
Very interesting! Did it improve your ride?

 

It's definetely doable. I haven't driven it yet with the new mounts. Still have to reinstall the rear bumper brackets and install my new gas tank. I'll post once it is back on the road.

 

Thanks for the detailed response.

It sounds like a lot more work than I expected. Guess I'll have to make sure to take my time and maybe find someone local who's done it before.

:thumbs: