Has anyone ever put new cab mounts in a 73-79 f-250. I need to do the ones in my truck and was wondering how big of a pain they are to replace. Are the old ones rivited or welded in. Do the new ones bolt in or weld in. THANK YOU FOR THE HELP

 

Do you want whole new mounts and perches, or just the new mounts - in which case they are simply bolted on through the body. It would be wise to want to replace your cab mount perches as well, as on most of these old trucks they are so old and collected so much water and dirt and grime that they have rusted out. If this is the case, there is an easy fix using 16 guage steel and some welding, you can repair your old mounting surfaces.

I did this on my 78 Bronco, and it has worked so far, and a member of Projectbronco.com has just posted his as well. You can view it at
http://198.77.81.220:11036/frame/page_01.htm

Good luck!

-Daniel

 

DMAN - I ordered replacement cab mounts from a mail-order catalog. The part came with printed install instructions which were basically to remove the cab mount nuts and rubber bushings, carefully jack the cab off the frame a 1/4" and slide the replacements in. Replace the bushings and nuts and then bolt or weld the the tail ends of the mounts to the floor boards.

Now, we all know that NOTHING is that easy. Here are some problems/tips I ran into:

1. Floor boards were rusted as bad or worse than the cab mounts. Took out the seat and spent A LOT of time cutting out rusted metal and welding in sheet metal. If you're boards are as bad as mine, you'll find it easier to cut out the old floors then install the replacement mounts before repairing the floors. Access to install the mounts was most helpful.
2. Cab mount bolts were really tough to remove. Have a friend hold the bolt with a wrench by removing the access plate cover on the old cab mount, liberally apply a product to unfreeze the nut, then use an impact wrench to get the nut off. I hope you've got a good compressor and lots of patience. I ran that wrench for minutes before the nut started to move and was afraid I was stripping it out the whole time it turned slowly.
Caution: I am a novice and just starting repairs to my '76 F-150. The above worked for me because I had the guidance of a qualified body shop instructor and unlimited access to the right tools.

Good Luck!

 

Just a quick note on those body bolts (or any other rusted bolts for that matter).

When I did mine I had the same problem, and used the same impact wrench method. I found that alternating between forward and reverse on the impact made the process a lot quicker. Especially if you use a penetrating oil. For the stubborn bolts, I just snapped them off with breaker bar.

As for floor replacement, you should look at my truck project web page . I had to cut out the rear 18" of floor including the structural member that the body mounts were on. I ended up welding in a 2x4 steel channel as a replacement, and used stainless steel for the floor. It was NOT a fun job.

Kevin K.