My 91 F-150 has a couple front end troubles. First, one of the driver's side lug studs is stripped (thanks tire rotation shop.) Next the passenger side wheel bearing is going in a hurry. Both of these could be replaced easily, but a friend gave me a set of axles with 3.55 and trac loc out of 88 F-150 to replace my 3.08 open units. Since I already have these axles, I'm just gonna swap front ends. I'm working right now on getting the old on out of my 91, but I'm seeing some things that are different between the two units. On the 88, the hubs are different. They just sit on the spindle, between the wheel and the rotor, and the lug nuts hold them on. Also, on the spring perch, there are these brackets, look they hold a shock or something on, I'm not sure. Finally, I don't know if I should replace my radius arm bushings or not. I figured with 165,000 miles, they would be due, except they look new. Kind of yellowish colored, and there is what appears to be a protective cup over the bushing that is present on one side, and missing on the other, which leads me to believe that the radius arms have been disconnected in the past and the one cup wasn't replaced. I'll have some pictures soon to help identify this stuff, and also to show another curiosity I found under there. Thanks in advance,
Robert Werner

 

Can't help on front ends but on the radius arm bushings I can. Mine woreout at 50,000 and I replaced them with poly bushings ($30 local auto store) As for the cup you see thats a heat shield to protect the passengers side from the cat.converter not needed on the other side. I thought the same thing after the shop changed I thought they had left one off. The rear nut on the arm is torqued to 120 on both sides. But I would chage them when the front end is off makes it a snap to do and they probley need it.

 

I like the idea of the protective cup being there to protect the bushing from the cat, cept it's on the wrong side. I'm thinking the bushings got replaced and that cup got put on the wrong side. Gonna replace em anyways...Thanks

 

Well I got the original front end out w/o breaking anything (a first for me). No I just gotta bolt the new one in. Wish me luck!

 

Save the axle you're taking off. As soon as you blow one of those flange-type hub locks, you'll want to change everything from the stub shafts out so you can use normal hub locks again. Just ask MustangSean.

 

Steve83,

Help me out the 'flange style' hubs. By this, are you referring to the style that are on my '88 that sandrat mentioned?

I just had my brakes done Friday ($180 for new rotors/pads/labor) and they mentioned something about cost being a factor for the rotors depending on what hub was on it..

Mine are the auto-lock type. Is there some sort of issue with these? Prone to failure or what?

Thanks!

 

All auto hub locks are considered failure-prone, but I don't think fullsize auto locks were ever flange-type. Look at the last pictures in the Truck Parts album in my signature link and see if your hubs look like those. They're flange-type, easily identified by the chrome going all the way down behind the rim and around the lug studs. If the chrome is ONLY at the outer 1 1/2" of the hub, they're common locks.