lsejlowe posted this info
So now you know where each mount is and how to get to it and you've squirted them down. Now you can start removing and loosening the rest of the components to be able to raise each side of the body about 4 inches. You'll need to:
1. disconnect steering column from box
2. loosen master cylinder and proportioning valve bracket
3. disconnect clutch linkage
4. remove rocker panels
5. remove antenna ground (may not be necessary)
6. remove ground strap on #1 mount bracket
7. remove battery ground (may not be necessary)
8. loosen or remove rear bumper support
9. loosen front bumper support and radiator support
Some of these are more self explanatory than others, so I'll describe each of them.
1. Disconnect steering column from steering box
On stock applications this can be done one of two ways. Either loosen the steering column and pull it upward and inward inside the car to disengage it from the rag joint, or remove the 3 bolts holding the box to the frame and disengage the box from the rag joint. I have a U-joint in place of the rag, but I still ended up removing the bolts holding the box to the frame.
2. Loosen master cylinder and proportioning valve bracket
I didn't want to mess with disconnecting brake lines, so I just loosened the two nuts holding the MC to the firewall and removed the one bolt holding the proportioning valve to the frame. Here's the valve between the control arm and steering box:
3. Disconnect clutch linkage
I don't have a good pick for this one because my whole clutch linkage was out for sidepipe installation. Here's the clutch pushrod coming through the firewall where you'll want to disconnect it:
4. Remove rocker panels
Sorry, no good pics of this either, but it's fairly self explanatory. Just look for the philips head screws along the rocker panel below the doors.
5. Remove antenna ground
This may or may not be necessary depending upon how high you're lifting the body. Here's a pick from another person's project looking at the inner rear driver's fender with the tank removed. Just look for the strap terminating at the frame in that area and remove the small bolt (3/8" wrench).
6. Remove ground strap on #1 mount bracket
Remove the small bolt (3/8" wrench) going through the #1 frame bracket
7. Remove battery ground
This may or may not be necessary depending upon how high you're lifting the body. It's a 1/2" bolt (5/8" wrench).
8. loosen or remove rear bumper support
I decided to completely remove the rear bumperettes because I didn't want them hanging off the body and then have something snag them and damage the body or the bumpers. There are 4 mount locations for each bumperette. You'll need 5/8, 11/16, and 3/4 wrenches and sockets.
I don't carry a spare tire, so I'm not sure how difficult all of this would be to access with the carrier installed. I also completely removed the outer brace seen going to the very corner of the body in the above pic. Don't forget about the bolt just above the marker light! As I said before, I have no idea what this is like for a soft bumper car.
9. loosen front bumper support and radiator support
This was a bit of a challenge. There are 4 bolts that hold the front end to the frame that are accessed from the front wheel well.
The first three are obvious. The fourth is hiding behind the bubble in the front bumper brace.
The middle two bolts thread into weld nuts on the back of the frame horns. The other two require you to get a wrench on the nut behind the frame horns. This isn't too bad on the driver's side (I used a 3/4 deepwell socket on the nut and held the head of the bolt with the wrench) but on the passenger side the lower radiator hose gave me trouble. It might be a bit easier to access with a stock radiator. As I recall, the lower hose neck isn't as close to the bottom of the radiator on a stock unit. You will also need to loosen the front bumper from the bumper support so you can move the support outboard enough to get the bolt out of the hole. There's one bolt holding the support to the bumper which you can see through the front grill:
I found a 5/8 socket on the end of a 6" extension reaches perfectly.
Completely remove the 4 bolts on the side that you plan to raise first. Just loosen the bolts on the opposite side. I also supported the front end with a section of 2x4 to keep the whole front clip from sagging.
We're almost the point of lifting the body, so take a break and go from front to back making sure there is nothing else attaching the body to the frame. I had two seat bolts that went through the frame from my C5 seat install, so I had to remove those as well.
Now that the body bolts have been soaking for a few days you're ready for the moment of truth: trying to break each bolt loose. Hopefully you don't have any trouble and everything loosens up nicely. Remove all the bolts on the side you plan to raise first and just loosed the bolts on the opposite side. That will keep the body from shifting too much, making it difficult to align to get the new bolts in. With all 4 bolts on one side removed it's time to lift. I used a 36" section of 2x6 and cut a few notches in it to clear the tabs on the body of the rocker channels. Make sure it doesn't extend too far forward or it will block access to the #2 mount.
The 2x6 gives you enough room to get the body raised a few inches before the jack pad reaches the frame. The body should lift fairly easily. If you hear a lot of popping and cracking STOP and figure out what you forgot to disconnect. The front end support might take a few whacks with a deadblow to make sure it's not rusted to the frame.
I was doing this before the poly cushions had arrived, so I put some jack stands under the 2x6 and left it jacked up while I cleaned and painted the mounts. Here are a couple lifted pics:
front support:
#2 mount:
Looking fwd down frame rail:
That's all I've got for now. I'll update once my mounts get here on Wednesday and I get them installed.
