frame pads

[skip hartline]

I'm trying to find out exactly where the frame pads are located, I tried to find them on my 74 but all I could find was a continuous piece of rubber
on top of the frame that runs the whole length. I thought the pads were 3-4 inches long. Just trying to find out if I need to replace or if they have
already been replaced. Thanks in advance for any input or experiences.
Skip Hartline
--
74 Canyon Lands, FiTech,
3.7 FD, Manny Tranny,
Springfield Distributor,
2001 Chevy Tracker Ragtop Towd

 

[Ken B]

Somme coaches used one continuous piece of rubber and others used the rectangular pieces you are talking about.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana

 

[jim kanomata1]

Skip,
You can follow the same location as the later models.
Be sure to drive in couple screws to keep it from shifting out. Glue does
not always hold.

On Sun, Feb 24, 2019 at 5:50 PM Ken Burton via Gmclist <

> Somme coaches used one continuous piece of rubber and others used the
> rectangular pieces you are talking about.
> --
> Ken Burton - N9KB
> 76 Palm Beach
> Hebron, Indiana
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502

 

[RF_Burns]

And please DON'T follow the instructions which say to jack each floor stringer up one at a time off the frame. Think of it... you would be trying to
lift the whole side of the coach on one stringer! Most likely you will bend the floor stringer! I did this back in my early days as that was all the
info out there. I ended up hear a loud bang and now I have waves on my drivers side.

Instead first you need to disable the suspension otherwise the frame will just follow the body upward. Set your rear suspension on blocks and the
front end on stands. Then remove all the body to frame fastening (two J brackets along the side and a large donut at the front and rear) Also check
for clearence between the Black tank outlet pipe and the frame since the black tank is mounted to the body. If you have a Ragusa step, loosen the
mounting bolts on it. Also loosen the fuel filler pipe clamps that hold it to the frame because the front of the filler pipe is attached to the body.

Then using at least 2 bottle jacks(I used 3 I believe) placed under the stringers being the front wheels and ahead of the back (I used the 3rd jack
behind the rear wheels), slowly lift one side of the coach from the frame. Just lift enough to get the old pads out and new pads in. As mentioned
before, put a screw into the pad to hold it. I also glued it.

If you are going from thin pads to thick pads (as I did), you will need to makeup about 1/4 to 3/8" at the back and front donut mounts. At the time I
could not find replacements, so I used large metal washers above the donuts to makeup for the extra height.

Just my experience.
--
Bruce Hislop
ON Canada
77PB, 455 Dick P. rebuilt, DynamicEFI EBL EFI & ESC.1 ton front end
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=29001
My Staff says I never listen to them, or something like that

 

[Matt Colie]

> I'm trying to find out exactly where the frame pads are located, I tried to find them on my 74 but all I could find was a continuous piece of
> rubber on top of the frame that runs the whole length. I thought the pads were 3-4 inches long. Just trying to find out if I need to replace or if
> they have already been replaced. Thanks in advance for any input or experiences.
> Skip Hartline

Skip,

The MY 73 and most if not all 74 seem to have the full length rubber pads. Mine (a 73) seem to be only slightly compressed from the original
thickness. I judged this by looking at the pieces that were not compressed in the assembly. I may think about replacing mine some year, but I am in
no rush.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit

 

[Ken H.]

Never having owned anything except '76's, I can't address the '73 & '74's
continuous strip frame isolators. But, to all those who have never
replaced the pads, let me tell you that replacing them will reveal MANY
rattles you never knew you had -- the coach becomes eerily quiet on that
first ride after the job's done.

Ken H.

On Sun, Feb 24, 2019 at 8:42 PM Skip Hartline via Gmclist <

> I'm trying to find out exactly where the frame pads are located, I tried
> to find them on my 74 but all I could find was a continuous piece of rubber
> on top of the frame that runs the whole length. I thought the pads were
> 3-4 inches long. Just trying to find out if I need to replace or if they
> have
> already been replaced. Thanks in advance for any input or experiences.
> Skip Hartline
> --
> 74 Canyon Lands, FiTech,
> 3.7 FD, Manny Tranny,
> Springfield Distributor,
> 2001 Chevy Tracker Ragtop Towd
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

 

[david h. jarvis]

Hockey pucks cut in half work very well.
That is, half thickness.

 

[Bob Dunahugh]

73,and 74 have long continuous pads. I've never heard of them needing repla=
ced. 75 , and up had individual pads. They were glued in, and fell out. I'v=
e replace the ones that fell out on 5 GMC's. It seems that the ones about =
half way back are the ones most likely to have fallen out. The main struct=
ural member for our GMC's is the body itself. The long middle section side =
rails has very little strength to it. Ask anyone that has had one out. You =
can pick up each side rail with one hand. I, as have many. Have used a floo=
r jack with a 4X4 on it. At each floor cross member. The later pads are jus=
t under a half inch thick. You just need to be able to side in the replace=
ment pad in. If your putting in thicker pads then what GM thought was neede=
d. Then do as Bruce said. I've never seen a reason to put a thicker pad in.=
I have the approach that GM engineers had more knowledge, and R&D time the=
n my. Or any of us. So I try to stay with things that don't change GM's bas=
ic engineering concepts. I've made some changes in our 78 Royale drivetrain=
. I put in the Quad bag system. Because I have a $1500 ramp hanging below t=
he main frame. A 3:70 FD, Howell GM EFI, and the Benz fan. As these changes=
stay with in GM's basic engineering design parameters. I'd never put whe=
el spacers, or the 1 ton system in. As they don't meet long term SAE design=
standards. Bob Dunahugh

 

[Carl Stouffer]

My '75 (TZE165V101455) has the continuous rubber strips. I have never felt the need to replace them. Every once in a while, I check them and, if
necessary, drive them back into place if they have slipped to one side or the other.
--
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles,
Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member

 

[michael1]

I have a 73 with the long spacer and it is definitely flattened over the years.
There is barely room for the brake lines to pass between the frame and the body panels.
From first glance, they look ok, but that is because they got squished out.
I know the body has dropped because the top of the black tank was crushed in from the hard mounted toilet flange.
There was no slip fitting, or o-ring, just a threaded drain pipe.
I will be replacing the pads as soon as weather permits.
--
1973 GMC 26' Glacier - Unknown Mileage - Has a new switch pitch transmission with Powerdrive

 

[Bob Dunahugh]

I used some rubber matt material that I found. Was very close to stock thickness. Rated at a slightly softer durometer rating. Did a nice job of reducing sound transfer. Hockey pucks seem alittle hard to me. Bo Dunahugh 78 Royale

 

[LarryW]

I drove my coach up on a set of ramps that put it 8" off of the ground. Then using a bottle jack and a 2 X 6 X 6, one a ta time I placed the jack at
the points on the diagram that Emery posted. I the very gently jacked the body up just enough to remove the old pad (if there was one) and slid the
new pad in place. I then screwed them in place with several self tapping screws so they wouldn't move. I never even bothered to loosen the body
mounts. I dreaded this job figuring it would take the better part of a day. Once I got the coach on the ramps and got the tools and jack together the
actual replacement of pads took about 45 minutes. That was 12yrs ago. None of those pads have dropped out or even moved a little. JWID
--
Larry
78 Royale w/500 Caddy
Menomonie, WI.

 

[emerystora]

When replacing mine, I put some Liquid Nails on each side of the pad. That lubricated them some and made it easier to tap them in place. I then used a self drilling screw to anchor the pad to the aluminum strap above the pad.

Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Frederick, CO

>
> I drove my coach up on a set of ramps that put it 8" off of the ground. Then using a bottle jack and a 2 X 6 X 6, one a ta time I placed the jack at
> the points on the diagram that Emery posted. I the very gently jacked the body up just enough to remove the old pad (if there was one) and slid the
> new pad in place. I then screwed them in place with several self tapping screws so they wouldn't move. I never even bothered to loosen the body
> mounts. I dreaded this job figuring it would take the better part of a day. Once I got the coach on the ramps and got the tools and jack together the
> actual replacement of pads took about 45 minutes. That was 12yrs ago. None of those pads have dropped out or even moved a little. JWID
> --
> Larry
> 78 Royale w/500 Caddy
> Menomonie, WI.
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org

 

[Bruce Hart]

I used 1/2" horse mat from Tractor Supply. I don't recall the measurements
of the mat but at $25 dollars I had enough for five coaches.
Each pad measured 4"x5" .

On Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 1:51 PM Emery Stora via Gmclist <

> When replacing mine, I put some Liquid Nails on each side of the pad. That
> lubricated them some and made it easier to tap them in place. I then used a
> self drilling screw to anchor the pad to the aluminum strap above the pad.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Frederick, CO
>
> > On Feb 25, 2019, at 1:25 PM, Larry via Gmclist

> >
> > I drove my coach up on a set of ramps that put it 8" off of the ground.
> Then using a bottle jack and a 2 X 6 X 6, one a ta time I placed the jack at
> > the points on the diagram that Emery posted. I the very gently jacked
> the body up just enough to remove the old pad (if there was one) and slid
> the
> > new pad in place. I then screwed them in place with several self tapping
> screws so they wouldn't move. I never even bothered to loosen the body
> > mounts. I dreaded this job figuring it would take the better part of a
> day. Once I got the coach on the ramps and got the tools and jack together
> the
> > actual replacement of pads took about 45 minutes. That was 12yrs ago.
> None of those pads have dropped out or even moved a little. JWID
> > --
> > Larry
> > 78 Royale w/500 Caddy
> > Menomonie, WI.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Bruce Hart
1976 Palm Beach
Milliken, Co
GMC=Got More Class

 

[adolph santorine]

Don’t you just love it when what you did appeared to be “best practice”?

I used cut in half hockey pucks for the spacer.

It’s a vibration thing, so the fact that it is does most of the work (as opposed to the damping factor of the material)

Dolph

DE AD0LF

Wheeling, West Virginia

1977 26’ ex-PalmBeach
Howell EFI & EBL, Reaction Arms, Sullybilt Bags, Manny Transmission

“The Aluminum and Fiberglass Mistress"

>
> I used 1/2" horse mat from Tractor Supply. I don't recall the measurements
> of the mat but at $25 dollars I had enough for five coaches.
> Each pad measured 4"x5" .
>
> On Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 1:51 PM Emery Stora via Gmclist <

>
>> When replacing mine, I put some Liquid Nails on each side of the pad. That
>> lubricated them some and made it easier to tap them in place. I then used a
>> self drilling screw to anchor the pad to the aluminum strap above the pad.
>>
>> Emery Stora
>> 77 Kingsley
>> Frederick, CO
>>
>>> On Feb 25, 2019, at 1:25 PM, Larry via Gmclist

>>>
>>> I drove my coach up on a set of ramps that put it 8" off of the ground.
>> Then using a bottle jack and a 2 X 6 X 6, one a ta time I placed the jack at
>>> the points on the diagram that Emery posted. I the very gently jacked
>> the body up just enough to remove the old pad (if there was one) and slid
>> the
>>> new pad in place. I then screwed them in place with several self tapping
>> screws so they wouldn't move. I never even bothered to loosen the body
>>> mounts. I dreaded this job figuring it would take the better part of a
>> day. Once I got the coach on the ramps and got the tools and jack together
>> the
>>> actual replacement of pads took about 45 minutes. That was 12yrs ago.
>> None of those pads have dropped out or even moved a little. JWID
>>> --
>>> Larry
>>> 78 Royale w/500 Caddy
>>> Menomonie, WI.
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> GMCnet mailing list
>>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>>> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>>
>
>
> --
> Bruce Hart
> 1976 Palm Beach
> Milliken, Co
> GMC=Got More Class
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org

 

[emerystora]

>
> Don’t you just love it when what you did appeared to be “best practice”?
>
> I used cut in half hockey pucks for the spacer.
>
> It’s a vibration thing, so the fact that it is does most of the work (as opposed to the damping factor of the material)
>
> Dolph
>
> DE AD0LF
>
> Wheeling, West Virginia
>

I posted this back in 2012:

—————————————————————
Someone recently asked me what the hardness of our frame isolators are.

 

[Bob Dunahugh]

Bruce Hart. I forgot where I got the material at. That was it. About any farm store should have that horse matt. I was to the point that Larry was. I put them in with very little time involved. The intent was to put a screw in each one later. Never got back to later. None have moved. Bob Dunahugh 78 Royale

 

[skip hartline]

Appreciate all the great replies
Skip Hartline
--
74 Canyon Lands, FiTech,
3.7 FD, Manny Tranny,
Springfield Distributor,
2001 Chevy Tracker Ragtop Towd

 

[Bob Dunahugh]

Emery. Thanks for the durometer readings. I know that when I installed the horse matt pads. I noted quit a bit of road noise reduction. Bob Dunahugh

________________________________
From: Bob Dunahugh
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2019 10:36 PM
To: gmclist
Subject: RE: frame pads

Bruce Hart. I forgot where I got the material at. That was it. About any farm store should have that horse matt. I was to the point that Larry was. I put them in with very little time involved. The intent was to put a screw in each one later. Never got back to later. None have moved. Bob Dunahugh 78 Royale

 

[Tom Newell]

Shore Hardness is one of those semi-opaque industrial things.

There are two scales, Shore A and Shore D, that would be relevant to this discussion. (There is also Shore 00, which can measure Gummi Bears; no
joke.)

Here is the most useful and straightforward explanation I have been able to find:

https://www.smooth-on.com/page/durometer-shore-hardness-scale/

I have a Longacre durometer that has served well for light duty use for twenty plus years. It is the "Shore A" scale and is intended primarily to
check racing tires and is also useful for most anything we would think of as "rubber".

This durometer tests vibration dampening mounts purchased from McMaster-Carr about 14% high. Not sure if it is the mounts or the meter; seems close
enough for what I need. By the way, I have identically shaped mounts in both Shore 40A and Shore 50A, and they are very noticeably different to the
"squeeze".

Owning a durometer is one of those things that is only rarely useful and somewhat difficult to justify. But when it is useful, it is really useful.
The current Longacre version seems to run about $60+.

https://www.amazon.com/Longacre-52-50546-50546-Durometer/dp/B00EOZC5DM/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=Longacre+52-50546&qid=1551201803&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

There are also assorted chinesium versions that seem to run $30+ (no personal experience with these; ratings seem good; might be worth a shot).

https://www.amazon.com/0-100HA-Rubber-Digital-Hardness-Durometer/dp/B01HMHNMX0/ref=pd_cp_263_3?pd_rd_w=s6JjY&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=FW0Z7KGGWYPERT8BPEAF&pd_rd_r=3e162fe8-39eb-11e9-b361-e1af9aa8f681&pd_rd_wg=FICkB&pd_rd_i=B01HMHNMX0&psc=1&refRID=FW0Z7KGGWYPERT8BPEAF