Sonoran body mount install issues

IsaiahC

IsaiahC

New member
Hey! I recently mounted my 4xinnovations bumper and quickly found out that my rear body mounts were allowing the body to contact the bumper. I bought Sonoran steel rear poly body mounts to alleviate this issue. Now, here's the problem: I'm installing the body mounts right now and I cannot for the life of my loosen the bolts that hold the body mount to the frame. I loosened the long bolt that goes through the mount and body into the interior but the other 2 bolts on each mount are giving my trouble. The bolts go in from the top (the nut on the bottom of the frame is a square but that is welded). Is there any tricks to it? No way I can fit a socket in there currently, there just isn't enough clearance. And my open ended wrench started to round off one of the bolts
 
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2 years ago when I did my body lift I had a friend hold the bolt inside the truck with a socket & I hit the nut under the truck with an impact. Came off pretty easy considering 15 years of corrosion underneath at the time.
 
Scramble said:
I used 3/8" maybe the OP is using 1/2" & it's too fat.
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I've run into that issue many times when I only had a 1/2 ratchet set. My cheap HF ratchets have served me well but over the last couple years as they wear out and break, I started updating them with better quality stuff. I noticed the name brand U.S.A ratchets are a lot more narrow allowing them to get into tighter spaces.
 
Scramble said:
2 years ago when I did my body lift I had a friend hold the bolt inside the truck with a socket & I hit the nut under the truck with an impact. Came off pretty easy considering 15 years of corrosion underneath at the time.
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He's already got the main bolt disconnected. He's replacing the mount, not adding a body lift... which means the two bolts between the top of the frame and the body need to be removed.

fourfive has it right - you need a box-end wrench for those. A ratcheting gear wrench would be even better. :)

-Charlie
 
phattyduck said:
He's already got the main bolt disconnected. He's replacing the mount, not adding a body lift... which means the two bolts between the top of the frame and the body need to be removed.

fourfive has it right - you need a box-end wrench for those. A ratcheting gear wrench would be even better. :)

-Charlie
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You've got it right. It's the two bolts on each side that of the mount. I couldn't even get a socket on it, let alone a ratchet. Couldn't get my ratcheting wrench on it due to interference with the rubber part of the mount. I am going to look for a six-sided box end wrench or flare nut wrench tomorrow. I'll report back then, but I would still appreciate everyone's input. :help:

Bonus question: How did you guys lift the bodies of your trucks when doing body lifts/replacing body mounts? I needed to use a length of firewood to get the height I needed with my floor jack and that felt super sketchy.
 
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It will be snug but the correct metric size ratcheting wrench (i think it is 14mm) will fit unless it is a really thick wrench you happen to be using. I was even able to put my 3/8 torque wrench on those 2 side body mount bolts.

Use a floor jack to lift by the pinch weld. I had a couple 4x4 blocks of wood and lifted by the underbody between the frame and the pinch weld because I didn't want to go through the process of taking off my running boards. If you are just replacing the body mounts, you don't need to loosen the steering shaft.


Edit:
I torqued those 2 bolts when I had the body slightly lifted off the frame.
 
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Firewood?....as in a round log? If so...I use a 2x4 or 4x4 as fourfive mentioned. After I jack up the body....I put an appropriate size piece of wood (or several) between the body and frame.


Also, I loosen all the body mount bolts but leave one entire side attached by a few threads while taking the other side out and lifting one side at a time.....but that's when replacing all the body mounts, not just the rear most pair as you are doing.
 
IsaiahC said:
You've got it right. It's the two bolts on each side that of the mount. I couldn't even get a socket on it, let alone a ratchet. Couldn't get my ratcheting wrench on it due to interference with the rubber part of the mount. I am going to look for a six-sided box end wrench or flare nut wrench tomorrow. I'll report back then, but I would still appreciate everyone's input. :help:

Bonus question: How did you guys lift the bodies of your trucks when doing body lifts/replacing body mounts? I needed to use a length of firewood to get the height I needed with my floor jack and that felt super sketchy.
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I can't answer the first one, because I used an impact with the frame off the truck. I was doing a frame swap due to fatal rust. They all came right out of the replacement frame. I broke one bolt on the dead frame being replaced but all I wanted was the mount. (I took off all the mounts on both frames so I could POR15 paint the replacement and pick the best mounts from both frames.)

As to the Bonus, I made lift blocks out of wood (2x4), with the grain going perpendicular to the frame rail. Then I made a channel for the pinch weld with repeated passes on my table saw going across the grain so it wouldn't split.

The body lift I did with a Harbor Freight 12-ton air jack. I cut a big piece of log about 10" high and 18" diameter to serve as a base to give it the height. Plenty solid. I used blocks on the jack and all four 6-ton jackstands, so I made five.
 
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I did not get a chance to work on the body mount today. I was on sort of a time crunch and prioritized my license plate mount (I go to school in a town with a petty police department) to avoid a ticket.

I'll update when I get the chance to work on it.
 
Well, I'm back again and the damned things won't budge. I think I've successfully stripped one of the bolts with my 12 point box end wrench. I can't imagine that Toyota ever planned on folks having to change these but here I am. It's such a small space that I'm guessing that they bolted these before the body was attached in the initial assembly. There is no way you could get a socket on these unless you cut a hole in the interior of the body. I'm about ready to give up but I'll post pictures in case anyone has a secret method to getting these off. IMG_3666.jpgIMG_3665.jpg
 

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Drill them out from the bottom and get new bolts. A 'normal' drill bit from the bottom may even just screw it out for you after it has put enough heat into the bolt.

-Charlie
 
phattyduck said:
Drill them out from the bottom and get new bolts. A 'normal' drill bit from the bottom may even just screw it out for you after it has put enough heat into the bolt.

-Charlie
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This is what I ended up doing. I drilled out the bolts/nuts from the bottom then replaced them by putting the new bolt in from the bottom. I couldn't get my jack high enough to slide the mounts out cleanly so I stuck a 2x4 between the body and frame and levered the body up while sliding the old mounts out of the way. Not the safest thing in the world but I still have all my fingers. The Sonoran steel mounts disassemble so those just slipped right in. I haven't heard body clunk since. I really appreciate everyone's help. I'm glad it's over.IMG_3668.jpg
 

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Hi,

May I know which part of the body did you place the jack/wood blocks in jacking up the body? Do you have some pics of how you jacked it?

I also want to replace the rear body mounts with the Sonoran Steel body mounts but I don't know where to jack the body and I'm afraid I might damage the body if i jack it at the wrong location.

Thanks!
 
I put a 12" long piece of 4x4 wood flat on my jack and just lifted from the floor in the spare tire area. It also helps to go loosen the two body mounts in front of the rears on the side.
 
I tried what Chim said with an uneven piece of firewood but it was sketchy and my jack didn't lift high enough. I ended up putting a piece of 2x4 between the frame and back part of the body and lifting it by hand while fishing out the body mount with my other hand. It was decently dangerous and the body is damn heavy but it worked.

I'd recommend what Chim said.
 
I would agree its dangerous.. in the fact that you don't want your hand in between the body and bumper area. Either feed a wrench in through that area or use your hand from the side in case the jack fails. No one wants to break or lose a hand!
 
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