Body Mount Brackets

[Tshark299]

Are replacements available anywhere? Specifically I need the one that's at the mid-point on the frame, driver's side, directly under the driver's door handle (on a 4-door at least). I've searched on here, eBay, and the internet in general but haven't found much information. I was able to find spring hangers without a problem but don't seem to be having the same luck with this. Anyone run into this before?

 

[Anime]

They were available new from the dealer at one point, but were also super expensive.

Generally you'll probably need to find a replacement at a salvage yard or get someone who's parting out to take one off for you.

Depending on how bad the rust/damage is, sometimes you can just remove the existing bracket, cut off the rusted parts, then weld some new metal on and bolt it back up with Grade 8 bolts.

Others have just made their own brackets out of plate steel.

 

[Tshark299]

They were available new from the dealer at one point, but were also super expensive.

Generally you'll probably need to find a replacement at a salvage yard or get someone who's parting out to take one off for you.

Depending on how bad the rust/damage is, sometimes you can just remove the existing bracket, cut off the rusted parts, then weld some new metal on and bolt it back up with Grade 8 bolts.

Others have just made their own brackets out of plate steel.

That's what I was afraid of. I'd find someone that can weld a new top plate on mine but it would probably be easier for me to find a used one. Any idea if second generation Explorer brackets are the same?

 

[Anime]

Yeah, the brackets were pretty much the same from 1991-2001.

One of the more interestingly simple fixes I've seen for brackets with rusted body bushing holes was for the area to be cut out, either with a bi-metal hole saw, or just in a circle, then having a big fender washer welded in place.

You can also just weld a washer on top of the bracket without cutting, but then the spacing between the upper and lower body mount bushing gets increased, and you'd need to add a washer on top of all the other brackets to match.

It might be easier to just get one from a used vehicle as a replacement, but as you'll find out when removing the original, it takes a while to cut and drill out those rivets, and it's a heck of a job to remove the bolts and hardware from the body mount bushings, too.

 

[Tshark299]

Yeah, the brackets were pretty much the same from 1991-2001.

It might be easier to just get one from a used vehicle as a replacement, but as you'll find out when removing the original, it takes a while to cut and drill out those rivets, and it's a heck of a job to remove the bolts and hardware from the body mount bushings, too.

Yeah I guess I'm going to try to find a part-out on Craigslist first. Good to know 2nd-gens might work too since that's primarily all that's left here in the northeast. Luckily I'm not afraid of the rivets... I've got plenty of experience removing them after replacing the radius arm crossmember and both spring hangers already!

 

[Tshark299]

Yeah, the brackets were pretty much the same from 1991-2001.

I did a little reconnaissance in nearby parking lots over the past couple days; I found an early and late 2nd-gen Explorer and checked the brackets. Both were of a different style than the 1st-gen, and welded on to those frames anyway. So newer Explorers (for that bracket at least) are not compatible. Looks like I'll be trying to fabricate something.

 

[Anime]

The middle brackets on some later Explorers were welded on instead of riveted like the first gen, but even though they look slightly different, they can still be used on another Explorer since they all take the same body mount bushings. I'm not sure if the welded-on brackets have enough of a flange to be drilled out for bolt-on use, but they can be removed by cutting the welds and re-welded to another frame, or just the top bushing mount can be cut and welded to the older body bracket if that's the only part of the bracket that needs replacing.

Fabricating a new bracket or repairing the old one might be the easiest solution if you can't find a direct replacement in good shape. You might even just remove and repair the bracket as best you can for now, and get a direct replacement in the future once you find a first gen to get one from.