I'm getting ready to do my radius arm bushings this weekend. I have pretty much everything I need, but NAPA doesn't have the spacers. Do these wear out too and need replaced or can I reuse my old ones? I will check a couple other places tomorrow and see if they have them.
My second question is, any tips on getting the rivets out on the brackets? I don't have a grinder that will fit in to grind them off. Thanks.

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1995 F-150 Supercab XLT 155" 4x4 M5OD 302
1986 F-150 4x4 NP435 300

 

use torches to get the brackets off, just blow them rivets right out. be very very careful not to burn anything or catch anything on fire on the backside of the frame. the fuel line runs right where you are gonna be working so watch for it. i had a pail of water handy to soak any hot metal down and i used most of it. as far as the spacers go, i couldnt even put mine back on, there wasnt enough room to get the nut started. i tryed sucking it down all the way to make space and everyhting it wasnt even close. so i left my spacer out. so far no problems at all, you'll want to get someone else's opinion on that though. hope this helps.

chris

 

You can also drill it out. My air chisel worked nicely.


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Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 

I drilled my rivets out when I did it. I bought all of the parts at the dealer. I don't remember the price, but I remember it seeming cheap.

 

>I'm getting ready to do my radius arm bushings this weekend.
>I have pretty much everything I need, but NAPA doesn't have
>the spacers. Do these wear out too and need replaced or can
>I reuse my old ones? I will check a couple other places
>tomorrow and see if they have them.
>My second question is, any tips on getting the rivets out on
>the brackets? I don't have a grinder that will fit in to
>grind them off. Thanks.


They can wear out or get old and crack. You can pick them up at the dealer for about $5.00 each if I remember right. As long as you've got it apart, have you considered using the polyurethane bushings?

If there's not enough room to get the nut started, you can take a little bit of the material off the bushing on the backside - where the washer and the nut are.

Hope this helps...

msautry

 

air chisel works great for those rivets
no drilling or nothing needed the heads pop right off

 

I think I'll probably end up drilling the rivets out.

>They can wear out or get old and crack. You can pick them up
>at the dealer for about $5.00 each if I remember right. As
>long as you've got it apart, have you considered using the
>polyurethane bushings?

Thanks, I'll try the dealer then. I've got a set of the polyurethane bushings from Energy Suspension. My old truck has these too and so far no problems.

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1995 F-150 Supercab XLT 155" 4x4 M5OD 302
1986 F-150 4x4 NP435 300

 

I just pull the sway bar & shocks & let the axle droop enough to pull the back of the radius arms out of the brackets. I never took my brackets off my frame, or the other truck I did it to.

 

Steve, that sounds like a great idea! I don't know why I didnt think of doing it that way. I need to replace mine and didn't really want to torch or drill out rivets, but now you've got me motivated to do it.
Thanks,

 

i had the same problem with not having enough thread to get the nut started. I just left a bushing off the back side, tightened it up a bit, put a clamp on it, took off the nut and put the bushing on and it worked. I would recommend putting everything back the way it was. And those polyurethane bushings are great.

 

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-Nov-02 AT 07:58 PM (EST)]Well I got 'er done today. The passenger side went pretty quickly as I knew what I was doing and there were no rivets. (Never again will I drill those out ) Anyway, it looked like when the PO did the passenger side they got bolts from Ford specifically made for this. The bottom ones looked like this and it was MUCH easier to just take the nuts off than try to get a rachet up behind the cat. So if you are planning to ever take the brackets off, look into these as it makes it a whole lot easier putting it back together.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=10691&.jpg

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1995 F-150 Supercab XLT 155" 4x4 M5OD 302
1986 F-150 4x4 NP435 300