 | Note the lack of centering nub on the reproduction bushing. |
 | On the left, the thinner isolator from the rear-axle kickup mount. On the right, the press-in bushing from the rear frame horn mount. |
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Progress!
The frame and a bunch of other sheetmetal went to West Coast Powder Coating last month. Came back a few days later, looks good. Pics to follow.
Loaded up on a bunch of 3M No Cleanup Body Schutz and got the underside of the body finished.
Today, I dug through various bags and boxes, and was amazed that I actually found all the pieces that make up the body mounts.
The OEM body mount hardware is mostly in good-enough condition. The rubber pads are in surprisingly good condition, but I don't really want to reuse them if I don't have to.
Interesting things one learns when one examines the OEM body mounts: The mount holes in the frame at the rear axle kickups and at the rear crossmember are smaller than the others - the rubber isolator cushions in those four locations have barely an eighth of an inch of rubber between the bracket and the hat assembly that fits through the mount.
The OEM rubber pads from the rear axle kickup mounts are thinner; perhaps in compensation, they have a series of round voids in them. Still, between the thinner cushion and the smaller hole, this pair of mounts probably do not provide much isolation.
I have a set of reproduction body-mount pads, however they're not quite right. The upper cushions are flat on both sides - that is, they're missing the raised nub that centers on the holes in the frame brackets.
| Note the lack of centering nub on the reproduction bushing. |
| On the left, the thinner isolator from the rear-axle kickup mount. On the right, the press-in bushing from the rear frame horn mount. |
No conclusions yet on the body mount situation. I don't much like the repro mounts, and the originals aren't in bad shape, but I'd like something better. I've ordered a couple quarts of 80-durometer two-part polyurethane mix. I've also made a mold for the mounts from a stack of sheets of HDPE from TAP Plastics, applying holesaws of various sizes to the various layers. I haven't yet actually tried to mold a bushing, I'm trying to find some carbon black to add to the urethane.
The front suspension is going together pretty much as planned, you can see the left lower control arm below.
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The one downside of relocating the front control arms, as it turns out, is that the front anti-roll bar will no longer fit over the front pivots of the control arms! Oops. It looks like I'll be on the hook for coming up with a custom anti-roll bar that runs under the control arm pivots, and fabricating some brackets to mount the anti-roll bar hangers lower.