Rubber or Urethane Body Mount replacement

[vtboy51]

On to my next task, replacing the missing/rusted body mounts (no body lift). I was looking at the WH site and they sell both rubber and urethane, what are the pros and cons to each?

 

[69broncofun]

On to my next task, replacing the missing/rusted body mounts (no body lift). I was looking at the WH site and they sell both rubber and urethane, what are the pros and cons to each?

I am not expert far from it. But I believe the urethane is a ruffer ride and the rubber is smoother. Some will chime in.;D

 

[GOPSU]

I put energy suspension black poly mounts on my 76 few months ago. They also yield a 7/8" lift.. There's a pic in my garage of stock and after lift. Cheers.

 

[01JLH]

Do yourself a favor and get the wild horses 1 inch body lift set. They are simply body mounts that are 1 inch taller than stock. Has everything needed in the set. Lots of advantages to using them on our broncos. You have to look really really close to tell any difference from stock, they just give you one inch of much needed space.

 

[DirtDonk]

There are some that say that the poly will make it ride stiffer, and some that say there is no difference. I'm in the latter category as I've done poly to both the EB and the full-size pickup when they were my daily drivers and frankly I could not tell the difference.
Might be due to the original mounts being old and stiffer (bronco only though), but I'm pretty sensitive to things I drive and actually try hard to make even trucks ride better. Just because it's a stiff-riding 4wd truck doesn't mean I don't want the best street ride I can put into it.
I would do poly again in a heartbeat.

And yes to our 1" body lift recommendation too (thank for that!). I did something similar about 20 years ago using non-EB mounts (actually full-size Bronco mounts) before the kit was available. Love the little bit of extra wiggle room in those tight areas.

Paul

 

[chuckyb]

Does the 1" lift bushings have any other implications to the stock steering and suspension?

 

[tirewater]

Does the 1" lift bushings have any other implications to the stock steering and suspension?

Yes, for instance:
1. Steering shaft may need to be longer.
2. Steering support *may* need to be lowered.
3. Shift linkages may need to be modified
4. Parking brake cable may need to be extended/replaced.
5. Gas tank may need to be adjusted
6. If you're running stock air cleaner you may need to move items on the wheel well underneath the air filter housing.
7. Fan shroud may need to be lowered.

As for polyurethane versus rubber body mounts. Polyurethane mounts can be made whatever durometer/hardness the manufacturer wants. So they can be just as soft as stock rubber mounts, yet last forever. I don't know how the polyurethane mounts compare in terms of softness to the stock ones.

 

[chuckyb]

Thank you for providing this information.

 

[sykanr0ng]

Another option to consider; a member here sells a rubber mount set that adds 3/4 inch body lift:

IN Rubber Body mount Kit

 

[AZ73]

Yes, for instance:
1. Steering shaft may need to be longer.
2. Steering support *may* need to be lowered.
3. Shift linkages may need to be modified
4. Parking brake cable may need to be extended/replaced.
5. Gas tank may need to be adjusted
6. If you're running stock air cleaner you may need to move items on the wheel well underneath the air filter housing.
7. Fan shroud may need to be lowered.

As for polyurethane versus rubber body mounts. Polyurethane mounts can be made whatever durometer/hardness the manufacturer wants. So they can be just as soft as stock rubber mounts, yet last forever. I don't know how the polyurethane mounts compare in terms of softness to the stock ones.

If you're running a clutch, the clutch pushrod or the clutch adjustment rod might need to be adjusted.

 

[sykanr0ng]

If you're running a clutch, the clutch pushrod or the clutch adjustment rod might need to be adjusted.

If you're running a hydraulic clutch your hose may or may not be long enough.

 

[DirtDonk]

All those are true, but one of the beauties of the 1" lift is that most, if not all of those are not effected on most Broncos. Now, they "might" be needed, but many of us have not had do do any of them.
For instance I've never even had to lower the radiator shroud. But that's probably the most common one that most people do have to do.
The clutch sometimes has enough adjustment, but sometimes you need to add length or buy one of the longer ones for this purpose.
The steering shaft is a potential, but I don't know anyone that's ever had to do it except for a few comments here.
Automatic shift levers are one area that usually needs to be lengthened because there's not enough adjustment. Or get a longer one here too.

Others will chime in with their experiences, but those are mine so far.
With a 2 or 3 inch lift however, all bets are off and pretty much every aspect mentioned needs to be tweaked for them to work correctly.

Paul

 

[smoktf250]

I put energy suspension black poly mounts on my 76 few months ago. They also yield a 7/8" lift.. There's a pic in my garage of stock and after lift. Cheers.

Did you gain 7/8" on top of the stock height Bushings?

 

[bronconut73]

All those are true, but one of the beauties of the 1" lift is that most, if not all of those are not effected on most Broncos. Now, they "might" be needed, but many of us have not had do do any of them.
For instance I've never even had to lower the radiator shroud. But that's probably the most common one that most people do have to do.
The clutch sometimes has enough adjustment, but sometimes you need to add length or buy one of the longer ones for this purpose.
The steering shaft is a potential, but I don't know anyone that's ever had to do it except for a few comments here.
Automatic shift levers are one area that usually needs to be lengthened because there's not enough adjustment. Or get a longer one here too.

Others will chime in with their experiences, but those are mine so far.
With a 2 or 3 inch lift however, all bets are off and pretty much every aspect mentioned needs to be tweaked for them to work correctly.

Paul

Got my 1" body lift bushings from Paul/WH's.
I needed a new rag joint for my steering shaft anyway and by going with Paul/WH's new collapsible steering shaft I didn't need to lower the shaft ....I just installed the new shaft and rocked on.
My automatic shift linkage had plenty of slack left to adjust to new height. Never touched my radiator or shroud, or parking brake cables, gas tank hoses or anything else for that matter.
It's just a one inch lift. For me the new collapsible steering shaft was a welcomed additional mod.

The one inch body lift is something you'll likely wish you had done later if you don't do it now. It makes room for other mods down the road.

 

[DirtDonk]

I put energy suspension black poly mounts on my 76 few months ago. They also yield a 7/8" lift.

Did you gain 7/8" on top of the stock height Bushings?

Well, I can't say that GOPSU didn't get that amount of lift, but the poly replacements from any company are "not supposed to" lift any over stock.
You may get a bit of lift out of stock replacements if your originals are sagged. And most are, so you may very well get 1/2" of lift or so. Originals are only 3/4" tall though, as are the replacements. So I'm not sure how he got 7/8" out of his. But the results speak for themselves.

Maybe he also got a set from a full-size truck? Not likely, as they're obviously different and are not all the same height on those trucks, like they are on EB's. So you would need two full kits to do it that way. Or stack the new ones on top of the old ones.
So not sure how he got his lift. And most don't, so don't assume you will get a lift either if you opt for stock replacements in either rubber or polyurethane.

Got pics of these mounts you can show us GOPSU? That'd be interesting to see. Wonder what was different about yours than the normal ones.

Thanks

Paul

 

[EB70]

I've done both the regular and 1" lift purchased through WH, both in poly. Unless there is some reason you don't want the lift, I'd recommend the 1" lift version. Every time I get under there to work it is so much nicer to have that additional 1" of clearance. There just isn't much clearance under a Bronco and every little bit helps.

Also, I really doubt the difference between poly and rubber would be felt. I didn't at least.

 

[tutone]

My take on this is that the rubber mounts will flex a bit more when you are off road. The urethane won't give much when your frame flexes. I think the rubber would put a little less strain on the body.

On the road, I don't think you would be able to tell the difference.

The urethane would probably last longer.

 

[jckkys]

I've seen poly bushings crumble and original rubber bushings last 50 yrs. No manufacturer of vehicles choose poly over rubber, when rubber has no cost advantage, why? They have far more engineering investment than any after market part maker. I personally try to eliminate all the noise and vibration I can and rubber bushings do that.

 

[savage]

When I replaced my body mounts on my 74,I use the ones from Toms Bronco, their polyurethane bushing that are graphite-impregnated to eliminate squeaking and prevent the bushings from drying and hardening. https://www.tomsbroncoparts.com/product/body-mount-bushing-hardware-kit-66-77-early-ford-bronco-new and I think WH sells the polyurethane bushing that are graphite-impregnated to. http://www.wildhorses4x4.com/product/Urethane_Body_Mount_Set_HW/Bronco_Body_Lifts

 

[DirtDonk]

I could be wrong, but I think any polyurethane that is black has graphite as part of the mix.
Can't remember all the details, but seems like poly is a white or clear substance naturally, and graphite is the most common black coloring component for stuff like this.

Anyone know for sure? I know Energy used to make a big deal of their whole black/graphite connection in bushings. And they were definitely slipperier feeling than other black poly products from other companies. So maybe it's not so much that graphite is present, but how much.
And some just put in more than others to reduce the dreaded polyurethane squeak.

Paul