I am getting ready to replace the body mounting bushings and was looking for any suggestions on getting the old bolts out without breaking them off. I am not dismantling the car for frame off work, just tired of the rattling washers from the worn out bushing. Any suggestions on removal and replacement will be helpful.

I'm a big fan of PB Blaster penetrating oil. Soak the captive nuts real good, let them sit for a day, then repeat. The bad news is you'll have to cut or drill a hole to get the Blaster to the captive nuts under the front seats and the trunk.

Gary, I just finished removing the 10 body bolts on my 66 Chevelle. I used liquid wrench; I hit each one with a sharp tap from a metal hammer. In the end I broke 4 bolts.

I ended up cutting a small hole in the floor just above each broken bolt and removing the nut and what was left of the bolt.

I drilled the bolt out. Run a tap into the nut to clean out the threads and replaced the nut back into the body.

This is a pain in the ass. If you find a better way be sure to post it.

Larry

This probably isn't very safe, so I won't say YOU should do it...but here's what I did on a '65 (which was disassembled at the time - no interior or fuel lines or gas tank to catch fire):
Heated the bolts to a hint of red with propane torch (about 5 minutes). Then while the bolt was still warm/hot I sprayed with WD-40 or Liquid Wrench or whatever else was on the shelf at the time. Lots of smoke and a few stray flames here and there (I had spray water bottle handy just in case). It seemed to work about as good as anything.
Still broke a few but this was a true Wisconsin rusted car.
Being from WI I have seen my share of rusted bolts - heat and/or penetrating spray usually does the trick.
If anyone else has any better ideas I'd like to hear them too!

Aside from the possible problems of rusted/stuck bolts, the procedure is quite simple.

Loosen all the bolts. Remove all of them from one side. Use a long 4x4 or 2x4 (on end) under a floor jack, to raise one side of the body just enough to remove & replace the bushings. Do the same for the other side, leaving the new side loose. It does not take much height.

You will want to be mindful of things that could be strained, like brake lines, steering column shafts, shifter linkage, etc.

There have been many posts on this subject. Trying doing a search for more info.

Good luck,


------------------
Phil Wise
67 SS Convertible
(now on the down slope of the resto curve)