Jeep Wrangler TJ Full Electric Conversions

Removing rubber from body mount bushings

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pocojo

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Hello all,I am replacing the body mount bushings on my '98 tJ Wrangler. All the steel above the bushing is gone and the bushing just spins around in the frame mounting tab. Does anyone have a method to remove the rubber so I can get a saw blade in there ? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Pocojo
 
pocojo said:
Hello all,I am replacing the body mount bushings on my '98 tJ Wrangler. All the steel above the bushing is gone and the bushing just spins around in the frame mounting tab. Does anyone have a method to remove the rubber so I can get a saw blade in there ? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Pocojo
Click to expand...

Once the lower half of the isolater is removed, the top half lifts off of the frame mount. There is no reason to cut anything after the body is raised up from the frame.
 
pocojo said:
Im having a very hard time removing the lower half.
Click to expand...

My recollection is that the section that passes through the frame mount is rubber bonded to steel. This might have rusted and wedged into the lower half. Use a pry bar.
20190422_164717.webp
 
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Yes that's the problem, so I thought if I could cut the rubber away I could get the saw blade in there to cut the bolt and sleeve away. Every time I tried to use the pry bar the rubber just revolves away. Thanks for your reply.
 
pocojo said:
Yes that's the problem, so I thought if I could cut the rubber away I could get the saw blade in there to cut the bolt and sleeve away. Every time I tried to use the pry bar the rubber just revolves away. Thanks for your reply.
Click to expand...

You need to use a different direction or a different pry bar. Pry down on one side of the isolater against the frame mount. Nothing should rotate.
 
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Okay, tomorrow I ll try to bang the 90 deg claw end of a Wonderbar pry bar in and see what happens. I am getting too old for this aggravation but really appreciate your help. Thanks,
Pocojo
 
pocojo said:
Yes that's the problem, so I thought if I could cut the rubber away I could get the saw blade in there to cut the bolt and sleeve away. Every time I tried to use the pry bar the rubber just revolves away. Thanks for your reply.
Click to expand...

@jjvw is correct, maybe get a picture so we can see what you are dealing with, I just swapped mine out today and installed a body lift also.
 
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jjvw said:
Hold on. Is the bolt not removed?
Click to expand...

No the bolt is still in there and the upper end of the bolt is threaded into a remaining piece of rusted steel about the size of a quarter and the bolt/bushing assembly rotates around. The body has not yet been lifted. My goal is to somehow grind/cut away that (rust nut) and upper portion of the bolt thread and drop the remainder of the bolt down but getting access to that top section has actually caused me to invent new curse words. If I am unsuccessful today I will continue to loosen all the remaining bushings to lift the body where more room to the upper portions of the bushings will be available and retain whatever is left of my sanity. The reason I haven't removed the front and rearmost bushings is that I have been using a mixture of Kroil PB Blaster and acetone for over a year and they are starting to loosen now. I didn't want to break those bolts because that would have made me cut access windows to get to the captive nuts and I want to avoid that at all costs. At this stage if I could have lifted the body I would have easily removed all the center bushings and no new curse words would have been made. But we all no that working with rusted frame parts is never a walk in the park. Thanks much again for your time and help replying.
Pocojo
 
pocojo said:
No the bolt is still in there and the upper end of the bolt is threaded into a remaining piece of rusted steel about the size of a quarter and the bolt/bushing assembly rotates around. The body has not yet been lifted. My goal is to somehow grind/cut away that (rust nut) and upper portion of the bolt thread and drop the remainder of the bolt down but getting access to that top section has actually caused me to invent new curse words. If I am unsuccessful today I will continue to loosen all the remaining bushings to lift the body where more room to the upper portions of the bushings will be available and retain whatever is left of my sanity. The reason I haven't removed the front and rearmost bushings is that I have been using a mixture of Kroil PB Blaster and acetone for over a year and they are starting to loosen now. I didn't want to break those bolts because that would have made me cut access windows to get to the captive nuts and I want to avoid that at all costs. At this stage if I could have lifted the body I would have easily removed all the center bushings and no new curse words would have been made. But we all no that working with rusted frame parts is never a walk in the park. Thanks much again for your time and help replying.
Pocojo
Click to expand...

The bolts need to come out in order to remove the lower half of the isolater. And the top half. 😉
 
jjvw said:
The bolts need to come out in order to remove the lower half of the isolater. And the top half. 😉
Click to expand...

I really understand that. After many new blades and much time, it just won't cut thru. That's why I was trying to remove the rubber first to get a clear shot at the sleeve and bolt. It's almost like the blade is not making an effective cut because it is pinched tight between the rubber and the metal cap.
 

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