For anyone who has replaced cab mounts.....

[The Anti-Chrysler]

I'm replacing all the cab mounts on my '82 J10 while I'm doing the restoration. My problem is this. When I used ESPO's mounts (all mounts are the same height), when I try to put the front fenders back on, the front of the cab is either too low, or the core support is too high. The fender will not line up. I have 2 options. Trim the core support mounts, or shim inbetween the front cab mounts and the frame. Shimming would be much easier, but I'm afraid of messing up the cab-to-frame angle, and having an uneven gap between the bed and cab when I put the bed back on. Anyone have any experience here?

I would imagine that unless the truck was all taken apart and only the mounts were replaced, this might not be a problem, but since I'm rebuilding from scratch, everything has to line up right. Thanks for any help. smile.gif

[Crazy_Jeepman]

I will have to ask my bodyman what he did or is doing, about it. He replaced all mine in my Cherokee, I have not seen it yet, but he says it went together fine. No idea what that could mean though.

[The Anti-Chrysler]

It all went together fine until I went to install the front fenders. It was as if the front of the cab was pointing to much downwards. What I didn't know was becuase the ESPO mounts didn't use different mounts for the core support (like OEM did), that maybe it was too high.

Did the body man put on the fenders yet?? It wouldn't be apparent until then. Where did you get the cab mounts?

[Crazy_Jeepman]

I know the front clip is bolted back together and he was going to set it on, so I would imagine he would have noticed if there was a problem. I forget who's body mounts they are, Poly.......someone? seems to me its said on the box. No idea really.

[Knucklehead]

It is pretty much trial and error when doing body alignment. You should do a cornvette ( the body is all one big peice of groaning fibercrap.

If you got acces to some 2" round aluminum stock and a lathe you can shim it up to compesate for the bushings. Aluminum won't squeek.

I would get the cab and bed lined up with each other. THen put the fenders on, align them to the cab (they will support their own weight). Align the radiator support with the fenders and start shimming away.

[The Anti-Chrysler]

Originally posted by Crazy_Jeepman:
I know the front clip is bolted back together and he was going to set it on, so I would imagine he would have noticed if there was a problem. I forget who's body mounts they are, Poly.......someone? seems to me its said on the box. No idea really.Maybe they were Energy or Prothane. I don't have the nose together separately, ao I put on the core support, then the inner fenders, and then I tried the outer fenders.

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Prothane thats them!

[The Anti-Chrysler]

Originally posted by 66HD:
It is pretty much trial and error when doing body alignment. You should do a cornvette ( the body is all one big peice of groaning fibercrap.

If you got acces to some 2" round aluminum stock and a lathe you can shim it up to compesate for the bushings. Aluminum won't squeek.

I would get the cab and bed lined up with each other. THen put the fenders on, align them to the cab (they will support their own weight). Align the radiator support with the fenders and start shimming away.I was hoping not to have to install the bed now, since it's going for paint without it first (to repair & paint the back of the cab). I figured this thing would be about as simple as it gets; I'm used to GM and using shims. :rolleyes:

What I was hoping to hear was that there was supposed to be shims in the front from the factory. Maybe I will have to put the bed on first before I do anything else. :(

[Knucklehead]

The shims are used to compensate for inconsistacies in the fram and the body (no two j20 are "exactly" the same.

I gues that you coulddo the fenders and cab. It is just a matter of eyeballing it and jockying the mounts and shims around till it is allaligned. Easy but time consuming.

[j10jim]

I used Prothane as well. There are different sizes of bushings. Espo probably sent the wrong ones. I would call them and talk to them, or send them back and get Prothane.

Jim

[The Anti-Chrysler]

Originally posted by 66HD:
The shims are used to compensate for inconsistacies in the fram and the body (no two j20 are "exactly" the same.

I gues that you coulddo the fenders and cab. It is just a matter of eyeballing it and jockying the mounts and shims around till it is allaligned. Easy but time consuming.Not always. Some GM (don't know or really care about the others) has specific shims that are used in specific loations on ALL vehicles. I've verified this at the salvage yards.

I know I can do it, but I don't know if I should raise the front of the cab, or lower the core support. One or the other. The thing that sucks is if I move the cab the wrong way now, I'll have to do it all over again later... :rolleyes:

[The Anti-Chrysler]

Originally posted by j10jim:
I used Prothane as well. There are different sizes of bushings. Espo probably sent the wrong ones. I would call them and talk to them, or send them back and get Prothane.

JimThe set ESPO gives is all the same. Mine had different bushings for the core support. I had to turn the ones they gave upside down, and bore out the core support hole for them to work. I called them and they said this is the way they're supposed to come. Anthony (Cecil14) and I went through that ordeal already. What I was hoping to find out is were the front bushings holding up the core support supposed to be a shorter height..... :confused:

[The Anti-Chrysler]

Does anyone have a TSM they can reference on this???

[Knucklehead]

"Not always. Some GM (don't know or really care about the others) has specific shims that are used in specific loations on ALL vehicles. I've verified this at the salvage yards."

These shim thicknesses are derived from measurement of the frame/body mounting points at the frame manufacture. Use to be that the frame would have the shim size denoted on each individual body mount.

Anyway, I feel your pain. I would wait and get the bed mounted.

[Cecil14]

Ok, to make them work right you have to cut the tapered part off two of the mounts to make them shorter. If you cut it off right where it starts to taper then the big part will be the right size. Mine cab and front clip are on and look ok, if I could find the camera I'd take some pics but it seems to have walked away.

Here's some pics:

Body Mounts (http://www.geocities.com/cecil_odo/83/bodymounts/bm.html)

Let me know if you've got any other q's.

FYI: espo is NO help on this subject. As far as she's concerned all the body mounts are always the same.

Anthony

[Rogue]

how much shorter are the originals? make the new ones that much shorter also

[Cecil14]

The old ones are the same size as the new ones minus the taper.

Anthony

[Rogue]

sorry...meant how much shorter are the core support mounts compared to the body mounts...make the new ones same...

[Cecil14]

You're talking about the core suppose rubber mounts right? All the mounts in the kit are exactly the same when you get them, no separate core mounts. The original core mounts are like 2" tall or so. It's about a 1/2" or so if I recall, the same size as the taper.

If we're talking about two different things ignore me. smile.gif

Anthony

[Elliott]

Did you get it figured out Jason?
I've got some original core support rubber I could measure for you if you need it, but sounds like Anthony probably told you what you need to know.

[The Anti-Chrysler]

No I didn't get it yet. I know what I did vs. what Anthony did though. I put the core mounts upside down from how he did, in the same orientation as the rear mounts. So that means I'm much higher than I should be I guess. The mount fit fine that way, after I enlarged the core support hole. Maybe that's what others have done to make them work. I couldn't remember how the originals went, and I didn't even think that I could have put it upside down.

Anthony, so you have the small part with the sawed off taper as the bushing between the core support and the frame bracket?? Darn, what to do now. Maybe I can cut down the big mount instead of the top mount.

[Cecil14]

Yah, I used the small part between frame and core and put the big part on top of the core like the original I had.

Anthony

[The Anti-Chrysler]

Ok, so there's my problem. If I can figure out how high the mount is supposed to be, I should be able to just cut the big mount piece I used as the bushing. I think the mounts are about 1-1/4" thick, so I will probably have to cut off a good 1/2" or so.

Elliott, if you indeed have a new mount that's unmashed like all my used ones, I'd really appreciate a measurement of it's height!

[Elliott]

I PMed you also, but if the size of the top mount isn't as big a deal as what size you need between the frame mount and the core support. The lower piece levels body panels, the top piece is just a shock absorber (used to have springs up there on the Kaiser trucks).
My truck is a blend of '79 frame, '75 cab mounts reloacted, and a '66 body. The mounting points and relative heights changed at least three times that I am aware of so the 1/2" frame to core support block I have may not be what works for you.
I would (with the cab squared to the bed) unbolt the fender at the door frame and rocker and use various thickness pieces of wood to block up the core support to see what actual measurement you will need to line up the front end. Use 1/2" & 3/4".
The core support blocks off the 1975 J10 were 1/2" lower and about 1 1/4" upper.