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I'll be body swapping my '86 in the spring, and I'm trying to get everyting I'll need over the winter. I found 2 different mount kits, just wondering if anyone has used either, or what your opinions are. Personally, I think it may be worth it to get the more expensive one since it seems more OEM, but I'm not sure. Pics of my junk below (not that junk).
The 2 kits I found going through forums on here and some Google:
After the frame off rebuild of my 86, I installed the polyurethane ones. I can't compare them to a fresh set of the oem style though.
Also, I changed too much stuff to provide a review that would only encompass changing the bushings. The polyurethane ones installed and fit great though - I did have to shim the bed up a little to line up. With both in hand, they are a lot harder than the oem.
Hopefully someone else will be along with a better before and after comparison for you.
For body bushings stick with OEM style they have more give and won't flex the body nearly as much when the frame flexes. The Poly body bushings quickly lead to a lose body with lots of creaks, squeaks and groans especially if the truck is offroaded, used to carry heavy loads or sees rough roads.
Ever since the rebuild when driving up or backing down an incline while turning there is a creaking noise coming from fenders. I've always assumed it was the bushing change after seeing how much harder they were but again, I touched too much to really be positive outside of swapping them out. Good to get confirmation on it being a common side effect and something one should consider when replacing.
I went with the original OEM style replacement bushings on my '84 F150, purchased from LMC. They seemed to fit and work well. I actually just another set for a 1980 that I'm rebuilding. One thing to be careful of (if you happen to buy from LMC) is that there is a mistake in the parts listing. It was wrong two years ago, and it's still wrong today. The rear lower bushings are incorrect for the upper bushings...you need to buy the later ones for them to work properly. Just FYI.
Yes. I think it's just a typo, but the whole listing for the rear cab mounts is kinda wonky, and it's been that way for quite a while now. They show a year break for the upper cushions, but list the same part number from 1980-1996. For the lower cushions, they show a different year break, and different part numbers. In any case, the 40-2008 is the lower cushion for the cab front mounts, and the 40-2009 is the lower cushions for the rear cab mounts.
See pic below. That's 40-2009 on the left, and you can see how it's cupped to fit the bottom of the upper cushion. The 40-2008 is on the right, and obviously is not cupped to fit...therefore would leave a big gap between them.
That picture is from a couple years ago when I ran into this issue. This time, I only ordered the upper cushions since the lowers were still good, but I did check the catalog and it is still wrong.
PS: The LMC mounts seem pretty good to me. I'm more than happy with them as a stock replacement.
The top and bottom "washer" are a one piece design with one half of the center bushing sleeve, which are pressed together inside the body mount. You need to pull that press fit appart.
Thanks for the input everyone, I forgot about LMC, I'll check them out for pricing and such. After reading what you guys and the guys in the '87-'96 forum say, looks like I'll go for the more O.E. style mounts as opposed to the Energy or S&M silicone (about $600 to get them here in Sask!) I'll post here again when I do my swap.
Ever since the rebuild when driving up or backing down an incline while turning there is a creaking noise coming from fenders. I've always assumed it was the bushing change after seeing how much harder they were but again, I touched too much to really be positive outside of swapping them out. Good to get confirmation on it being a common side effect and something one should consider when replacing.
Did you grease them adequately and are still experiencing the creaking? I bought a poly kit back in 2010 as I prepped for my resto, which is only now just reaching the point I need them. You think they are hard when new, try ten year old new in box poly bushings haha. So I’m looking to either rebuy a poly kit but am also considering to go rubber. I can get the full hardware and bushing Energy kit cheaper than I can a rubber kit with hardware - in Alberta anyways.
Did you grease them adequately and are still experiencing the creaking? I bought a poly kit back in 2010 as I prepped for my resto, which is only now just reaching the point I need them. You think they are hard when new, try ten year old new in box poly bushings haha. So I’m looking to either rebuy a poly kit but am also considering to go rubber. I can get the full hardware and bushing Energy kit cheaper than I can a rubber kit with hardware - in Alberta anyways.
I got my poly kit off of Rock, which was way cheaper than the rubber ones. I hope it dosen't bite me in the ***.
I know it's been a long time, but figured I should update. I ended up going with the LMC mounts, changing up the number for the rear lower mount as Rembrant said above. I ended up reusing either the front or rear bolts, I can't remember, but the bolts that came from LMC were very wrong. Tech tip - if you have the cab completely off, just thread in your old cab mount bolt into the old cab mount and go hog wild with a sledge hammer to remove. Worked on all 4 mounts including one that the bolt broke in. I used anti-seize on the steel sleeves inside the mounts, and silicone dielectric grease on the mating surfaces of the mounts. Been driving the truck since September of last year, no noise or sagging at all.
