Hey Breeve. Been there done that on my fronts. Fortunately the rust was not as bad as the one you did and some time, heat and PT Blaster helped the cause when it came to replacing my lower control arms and dealing with that blind threaded hole in the body.

Back to the rear knuckle. I did not want to remove the hydraulic brake line for fear of loosing the bolt and/or hydraulic line coupling nut due to the aforementioned rust, so I lowered the arm to the point where the hydraulic line became taught. I did not use a lift for this job and only jacked up the rear right side and supported the frame with a jack stand. All other tires were in contact with the garage floor. That was more than high enough to move the knuckle downward to a point that the brake line tightened up - but I guess not down to the point you may have.

I guess that is why shops charge so much for this job. It could very easily entail replacement of several other broken parts - just to get the half shaft out and back in. If you ask me, this was a poorly designed aspect.Then again, I guess the Escape may not have been designed to last long enough for things like this to require attention. Ford most likely designed it for an easy build instead - like so many other vehicles these days.

I bought mine used and now have 161K on the clock. So far I have replaced both front lower control arms and sway bar links, tie rod ends, front driver side half shaft, front wheel bearings, brakes and one rear wheel bearing.

Don't get me wrong. I love this little truck. I may not consider it in FWD configuration, but in 4WD it rocks in wet weather, winter and when doing mild off roading to get to and back from my favorite hunting and fishing spots or pulling a small trailer of fire wood from a damp hilly wooded area. Let's just hope the other under carriage issues remain minor.

Thanks for your insight! That is why I love this website.