Rear quarter panel question: How critical is that bushing?

[jdog35]

Hey all. Just plugging away on the welding and rust repair on the rig. Found some cancer in the lower rear section of the quarter panels. Basically, the rust has eaten away the majority of the metal that body bushing butts up against. Does this make sense? I can get some pictures up in the next day or so.

Are these bushings critical to safety, or are they mainly a body vibration dampener back there? I was tempted to weld some flat iron in there to replace the cancer sections, or cut it out and integrate a custom bumper into those areas. Thoughts?

 

[cruiser_guy]

Those are the body mounts. They keep the body and chassis together. You'll need to decide how safe it might be to start eliminating those. I like to keep all of them personally.

 

[jdog35]

Thanks cruiser. I wasn't planning on eliminating the bracing all together. It really seems to be whether or not I can weld a new mounting plate in there and keep everything together without the bushing. As I'm sure you know it's a complicated area to get into, so it looks like I'll need to get creative. Knowing my boundaries is always good before I get into it though

Thanks again!

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

Okay, look for pig deconstruction or something. there are blow ups of body panels and cross sections. maybe its in the sheetmetal thread... I have similar rust although I'm not sure if it's that bad on my 73, but I want to cut it all out and replace things as neatly as I can. I think to do it right I will need to cut out the quarters higher than needed just to clean them up. Also entertaining the idea of pulling the furthest aft floor panel just to gain some more access. I want to retain the structure in this area, and will replace the rear sill if I have to. I will post pics of mine too and share the carnage...

 

[Pighead]

I think I recall Calico Kid had his 55 rear body mounts replaced by Mark A. He moved the mounts to the side of the frame. Maybe used FJ40 body mounts, but it looked really well done and perfectly functional.

 

[vanquisheder]

suspension bushings ... keep everything together without the bushing. As I'm sure you know it's a complicated area to get into, so it looks like I'll need to get creative. Knowing my boundaries is always good before I get into it though

Thanks again!

Working on the mounting plates and to keep everything together sounds very complicated to me. Please share your innovative idea. Thanks.