As a step towards aligning the cab, fenders, and hood I want to first replace the body mounts before I shim. I was thinking I could do this in place a few at a time. I can get the bolts out, but the bushings are stuck together and just spin when I turn the nut. Any suggestions on removing them? Especially those for the radiator support?

 

Those rad support bolt are a beach, it,s easy if the rad support is off the truck. If not I would remove all the bolts holding the whole clip in place, then you can lift it up a few inchs to get in there with the sawzall.

 

 

The reason these bushings are usually so hard to remove is because the way they are designed.
The lower retainer has a tapered "tower" that fits into a matching tapered hole in the upper mount. When you tighten the bolt, this draws the two tapers together making for a very tight fit. The easiest way to separate them is to get a long bolt, screw it in from the top and break out the BFH and wail the daylights out of it. That "usually" works, but not always. Sometimes you do need to just cut them in half when no other way works
So you know, the thread on the radiator mounts is 3/8"-16NC and the cab mounts is 7/16"-14NC.

 

X2 on what Mike said. If one of your stock bolts is not long enough, an extra long bolt threaded part way in will work as your hammering surface. And as he said, don't be shy with the hammer either!

Instead of a sawzall though, an easier way with some of the mounts is literally to just drill it out from underneath.
I forget what size bit, but if they're a 3/8" bolt, a 1/2" bit might be just enough. Or you could just go a bit bigger right off, but I would start with a half-inch.

Drill straight up into the lower washer/retainer and you are literally hogging it out and destroying the threaded end. Once you're through the lower half, it just falls out and you're done.
Of course, if you had any visions of reusing your original hardware, it just went out the window with the cat.
If you hope to re-use it, neither the drill, or the reciprocating saw will get you there. The only way to get there is to hammer the old one out with a bolt or long pin.
I do believe that some of the hardware is available again (check out Bronco Graveyard) but it's quite pricey if I remember.

One last thing, and maybe the others know different, but I'm not sure how much "flex" is available to you from just removing two at a time. Will it disrupt anything when you lift the body up a bit to clear the old bushings out? Not sure.
But if it doesn't want to go and you're concerned about tweaking something, just loosen the other mounts at the same time. You don't have to remove them, but getting them to give you more leeway would be a good thing.
If you don't need that though, it's better still, because then you don't worry about the body shifting on the frame.

And one last thing, when you're doing this keep an eye on your fan and shroud. If you move the core support enough, the fan and shroud will hit. With our trucks there is generally quite a bit of room to move in there, but be certain anyway. Don't want to mess up a water pump bearing or an expensive fan shroud.

Paul

 

ND is this all still correct?

D3TZ-1000155-B.. Absorber (rubber cushion) -Lowerradiator support andlowerfront & rear cab mounts / Obsolete
CARPENTERNOS OBSOLETEPARTS in Concord NC = 800-476-9653.
PARTS INTERNATIONAL in Farmers Branch TX = 888-727-0418.
GREEN SALES CO. in Cincinnati OH = 800-543-4959.
WESLEY OBSOLETE PARTS in Liberty KY = 606-787-5293.
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D3TZ-1000396-C.. Absorber (rubber cushion) -Upperradiator support andupperfront and rear cab mounts / Obsolete
PARTS INTERNATIONAL
CARPENTERNOS OBSOLETEPARTS
GREEN SALES CO.
WESLEY OBSOLETE PARTS

 

Updated 4/1/2018

Wesley is out of business. Parts International was purchased by Bob Allen Ford.

 

Thanks for the help everybody. I'll soak it another day or so with the liquid wrench and see if I can separate the two halves. Good point on whether there's enough motion available to pull the bushings out in place. I've started to think how to do this, but at least I don't have to worry about the fan and shroud given I have an electric fan now.