Ok. So Here We Go...

I need some help on taking the OEM washets off to reuse them with the energy suspension bushings. I see from your pics that you ACTUALLY did it! Im tearing my hair out over here!

 

How is the progression of this project?

I see you're in Houston; there are a bunch of us so check out the TTC thread.

 

I got the washers off the sleeves by grinding the crimp and hammering with a ball joint fork. Then i torched and pressed out the sleeves. Then i melted and scraped off the rubber off the sleeve. Then i took a abrasive wheel and cleaned them up. Now i have to grind down the crimp so the washer will fit up at the end of the sleeve. The end of the sleeve is flared out, thin and very sharp. Once i get these ready ill lube em up with grease and press in the ES bushings. I have some Superlube on order from Amazon so ill have to work on something else for now. I have everything taken out up front

 

Great work will keep following. Mine has 135k can you do mine next. lol

 

Sorry I replied so late. Looks like you got it down now!

 

np. i read your older post about grinding the crimp and figured it out. the other set went super fast. i got that bushing process DOWN.

 

InstaSubd! Phenomenal work dude, and the frame looks amazing. Your officially my goto! Have same but nonTRD and looking forward to gettin him all worked over n under. Is the frame replaced? Mine was replaced 4yrs ago by previous owner but is not fairing well (in NY) IMO... Again awesome thread! Any suggestions for preparing a rustproofing? I've heard of a "slack oil" that some people use?

 

Thanks! i dont know if my frame was replaced. this truck has always been a texas truck so its possible it has not needed to be replaced. im not familiar with frame rustproofing. i did however clean up the front and rear end really well. OCD. i then painted all the frame i could using POR15. it looked awesome until i drove through mud in Moab last October. that stuff is HARD to clean off.

 

I wish I had this much time. It's taking me forever to finish cleaning and painting my frame.

 

Hello internet people. I need some help: I am trying to replace the cab mount bushings on my 99 Tacoma Xtracab Limited with 300k miles and lots of rust. I've read this post, and a number of others, before starting the job. I decided to start with the driver's side, so loosened up the 3 cab mount bolts on passenger side, and removed the 3 on the driver side.

When I try to jack the cab up and off of the frame at various points on the driver's side, it doesn't separate from the frame at all -- the frame moves with it, very rigidly, as if it's still very strongly affixed to the cab. I've used the 2x4 method and tried lifting the cab up from various points on the cab's pinch weld near each of the three driver-side cab mount perches, as indicated in this and in other posts here, to around 2-3 inches of height, but to no avail. The cab simply does NOT want to separate from the frame, and the frame just moves up with it. With the jack in place and lifting the cab (and frame) 2-3 inches, I've wiggled the truck, I've jumped up and down on the rock sliders (bolted to the frame), I've banged on and around the three perches with a BFH and a lot of crap came out but no KA THUNK and separation.

I am nervous to apply any more force on this without asking around to see if I'm doing something dumb. I figure I either missed some bolts, or perhaps the cab has rust-welded to the perches (the bushings are in pretty bad shape and might be totally gone in fact).

Some ideas? Otherwise I'm just going to put the bolts back in and walk away from this one. Here are pictures of the three (well, six total) cab mounts that I've undone.

This is what I understand to be the FRONT mount. there's on on either side of the radiator more or less:








This one is the middle mount, approximately under the dead-pedal carpet:






And this is the rear mount, under the utility boxes under the jump seats:

 

You can't lift from that point as of yet. My guess is your bumper is somehow attached to the cab. I'm just going to state that first, just in case you are at this moment, still trying from there. Then I'll try to help further.

 

@goffredo did you loosen the steering rag joint? that holds the rack(frame) to the cab

 

I knew why you were having the issue & got worried you might still be trying another spot or something. It’s too bad the instructions on this thread don’t include removing those l brackets. It’s possible his were rusted out, as mine were. From the side pic of his truck, there is a bigger gap than there should be. He hasn’t been on here for a few years. One of my 1st helpers on here & I’ll not forget his patience & support.
Anyway, it did not occur to me to ask what brand of mounts you got.
Here are the instructions for the ‘99 energy suspension ones. Makes no difference what brand, except for if you had instructions. I imagine they’re universal.
Your bumper must connect to the cab somewhere & that is why you are having the problem. I wonder if you actually have to remove the bumper or if wherever it connects can just be loosened. Anyway, these are the ‘99 instr. Hopefully someone with an early 1st gen can pipe in. Or you could start a thread titling it something like “early (‘99) 1st gen body mount bushings install issues”
https://www.energysuspensionparts.com/installation_instructions/energy_suspension/17170.pdf

Mine (‘01) connects via the brackets. Cab brackets to bumper.
‘01 instr
https://www.energysuspensionparts.com/installation_instructions/energy_suspension/17478.pdf

 

I did not! I will take a look at this! Thank you!

It's funny, I saw in the Energy Suspension instructions like the very first step is to remove the front bumper and I was like, "Naaah, that's just so you have easier access the tops of the bushings, I can get to them just fine with my little Barbie wrench!" and completely disregarded it. And then an hour later I was like "why the hell isn't this damned $@ cab coming off the body?" and hitting things with a hammer and generally being irate. Yeah. Thanks. Let me try this one out and see, will post back with deets.

 

I ended up just replacing the front bushings. The middle and rear ones were in good enough shape not to risk jacking the cab up off the frame the couple of inches necessary to swap them out. I think the reason I was having such a hard time separating the cab from the frame was because of the front bushings -- the bolts were rust-welded to the inner sleeves, and the sleeves were in turn bonded to the stock bushing material, so even with the nuts loosened, the bushing assemblies still held things together fiercely.

Front Passenger side bushing, before: (about 300k miles on it):



Front passenger side bushing, replaced with

$88 Energy Suspension 8.4103g CAB MOUNT BUSHING

Energy Suspension 8.4103g kit:




The old bushing, removed:



The stock bolt:

 

so you did not have to remove the bumper?

 

Oh, yeah i totally removed the bumper. I can't say it made a difference in separating the cab from the frame, though. As far as I can tell, there are the four big bolts that hold the bumper to the frame on the front, and then some random plastic trim pieces that keep it affixed at the sides. I didn't see any part of the bumper that was attached both to the frame, and to the cab.

But it's nice to get the bumper off, so now i have access to some parts of the frame that need a wire wheel and some anti-rust paint, while I'm at it.

 

Weird. I wonder why the instructions have you remove it. Whelp, thumbs up with the sunnyside up attitude. & yes. definitely gota get that rust. From what I see, if the whole truck is like that you're in decent shape as long as you jump on it.... If you don't mind me asking, what part of the country are you in? I'm in the rust belt, so I opt for wool wax. & I don't mean painting is no good. It's just that some products, like wool wax, work better if they're put directly on the rust.

 

Well, I had the truck for 5 years in the east coast, 5 years on the west coast, and 10 years the sierras. So it's pretty much always been subject to either salted roads or salty air. Here's some before / after pics, they're kind of shitty because I was too busy doing the work to stop and take pics. In addition to the new front cab mount bushings, I put new upper (Icon) and lower (OEM) control arms on, new coilovers, and then used Loctite Rust Neutralizer and Rust-oleum rusty paint primer and a black topcoat to take care of the rusty frame components. I also had the steering knuckle sandblasted (and pressed in new OEM bearings while I had it off). And new OEM sway bar end links and bushings, and new CV axles because my 11-month old ones already had torn inner boots.