Dean Hedin
Active Member
I just did the body mounts on my 2003. I used the Prothane kit.
I just wanted to add a few tips that I think were not mentioned in other post regarding this project.
1) The plastic trim pops up so you can roll the floor mat to gain access. You do not need to remove the seats to gain access to the "Position C" mounts. I just cut a 4" slit the floor material just behind the front seat mounts. After everything goes back together you don't even notice the cut.
2) On the driver's side you have to get the parking break cable out of the way of the "position B" mount. You have to pull the black sheath forward to pop it out of the frame. Emergency brake has to be off.
3) The bottom washers want to turn while you try to unscrew the bolts. I used a long nose, clamp on wrench to keep them from spinning.
4) The propane torch is the key to melting the Ford thread lock. 30-40 seconds does it. If you get stuck heat it again. I had a stubborn "D position" mount where a re-heat was required. I had it 90% loosened and then it wouldn't budge. The clamp on wrench kept popping loose from the bottom washer because of the torque I was applying. Finally I heated it up again and it went easy. I didn't have to heat the "A position" bolts.
5) My "Position A" bolts were rusted badly. I bought some long, fully threaded, M12 bolts and some large fender washers from Sears Hardware to replace. The "Position A" mounts are weird. When re-assembling I torqued the bottom to 41ftlbs first and then the top nut to 41ftlbs. The others are 60ftlbs
6) I de-rusted all the hardware with a wire brush and painted with some fast dry black enamel. I then used liberal amounts of grease on the telescoping pieces of the mounts and on the urethane. I didn't want any squeeking, plus the grease should help keep the rust at bay. No grease on the threaded bolts. Just some locktite.
I had other things going on, so I did one side one day and then the other side the next day.
It's a big job.
I think the original Ford mounts absorbed a lot of the higher frequency vibrations. The new urethane mounts are stiffer and allow some of that to get through. Would have been nice if Prothane used a softer durometer for the B, C, and D positions or maybe mold some cavities in them.
I just wanted to add a few tips that I think were not mentioned in other post regarding this project.
1) The plastic trim pops up so you can roll the floor mat to gain access. You do not need to remove the seats to gain access to the "Position C" mounts. I just cut a 4" slit the floor material just behind the front seat mounts. After everything goes back together you don't even notice the cut.
2) On the driver's side you have to get the parking break cable out of the way of the "position B" mount. You have to pull the black sheath forward to pop it out of the frame. Emergency brake has to be off.
3) The bottom washers want to turn while you try to unscrew the bolts. I used a long nose, clamp on wrench to keep them from spinning.
4) The propane torch is the key to melting the Ford thread lock. 30-40 seconds does it. If you get stuck heat it again. I had a stubborn "D position" mount where a re-heat was required. I had it 90% loosened and then it wouldn't budge. The clamp on wrench kept popping loose from the bottom washer because of the torque I was applying. Finally I heated it up again and it went easy. I didn't have to heat the "A position" bolts.
5) My "Position A" bolts were rusted badly. I bought some long, fully threaded, M12 bolts and some large fender washers from Sears Hardware to replace. The "Position A" mounts are weird. When re-assembling I torqued the bottom to 41ftlbs first and then the top nut to 41ftlbs. The others are 60ftlbs
6) I de-rusted all the hardware with a wire brush and painted with some fast dry black enamel. I then used liberal amounts of grease on the telescoping pieces of the mounts and on the urethane. I didn't want any squeeking, plus the grease should help keep the rust at bay. No grease on the threaded bolts. Just some locktite.
I had other things going on, so I did one side one day and then the other side the next day.
It's a big job.
I think the original Ford mounts absorbed a lot of the higher frequency vibrations. The new urethane mounts are stiffer and allow some of that to get through. Would have been nice if Prothane used a softer durometer for the B, C, and D positions or maybe mold some cavities in them.
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