I had what sounded like a a little guy under my truck beating my floor board with a hammer when i hit small repetitious bumps. I pulled the radius arm bushing bolt ,washer , rubber plastic rear bushing. The main bushing that goes thou the arm was egg shaped. I jacked up the arm a little and pushed in a piece of split 3/4" heater hose with some wd-40 then pushed down on the arm a little and did the same up top. Found a washer 1/4" thick with a 1" hole that would pass over the step after the threads so when tightened up all the rubber parts were tighter. they weren't tight before. No more little guy beating the floorboard when i hit bumps. I know this is a temp fix , when the temps get warmer i'll fix it rite with new radius arm bushings and pivot bushings.
Where can i find a set of good poly bushings that will be somewhat easy to install ?.
Hear is a pic of before
Thanks to all.

 

i get mine at o'reilly auto parts,twenty some bucks,had to do a couple this year, one more to do

 

Are the ones you get soft black rubber or they harder red poly. I don't want to have to do them to often.

 

naw,these are i think yellow and black, they the good ones,the cheap ones are like 9 bucks

 

i got the energy suspension ones off amazon.com

 

my mistake,blue and other truck is red

 

Is there a bushing Kit for the front end radius and pivot bushings. And are there ones that are better than others?. Do they all need pressing in ?. The stock ford ones seem like kinda soft rubber.

 

As stated i put a 1/4 "thick washer that fit over the step of the radius arm that tightened up the rubber bushings 1/4 " more than before. I'm wondering if that changed the alignment . Did that pull the Axel's back 1/4 " and change the alignment. I rotated the tires at the same time and the truck drives different now and don't know if the washers did it or the tires. The front tires were more rounded than the backs so now the squarer tires are on the front .The steering is less responsive and when you turn it wants to keep turning. Is there a positive stop that the bushings provide or is the arm just floating in the bushing.? Should i remove the washers?.
Any and all responses are greatly appreciated.

 

Little guy beating the floorboard eh? Wow sounds exactlly what was happening in my 89 F150, did that for about 2-3 weeks and has stoped doing it.

I'll have to check my bushings.

 

Those bushings can go in places you can't see and not be obvious and never appear or feel loose. The only early warning sign you usually get is a clunk when turning as the radius arm shaft slips along the drop bracket hole lip.

Looks like the rivets in your drop bracket have already been replaced with bolts. Otherwise you'd have some fun grinding them out to get the bracket off and slid off the radius arm shaft. I guess that pic of the new bushing on the riveted drop bracket means the owner pulled the front end forward to get the radius arm shaft out of it. Not good for the front beam bushings.

When you go to replace the bushings, make sure the bracket mating surface is good, smooth and greased with some thick grease, like comes with some poly bushings. The bushings tend to 'stick' to corroded surfaces and when they do that, they tear and twist instead of moving freely as they should.

 

In my expeeriences with these ft ends the radius arm has little to no effect on camber or toe in. I've seen bushings totaly gone and the radius arm was wearing into the hole in the crossmember, and it wasnt wearing tires badly.

 

Hines joints or what?. Bushings no good . What holds the arm straight/ true.?

 

The radius arms hold the front end true.

The reason people have not seen worn bushings affect alignment,tires, etc is b/c the front-side bushings usually outlast the rears. When you're rolling down the road, the resistance of the front wheels keeps the front end pushed back against the radius arms and back against those front bushings, which are probably still ok. If you drove in reverse all the time, ceteris paribus, you'd have a disaster.