My '93 F-150 Supercab has gone on a weight reduction program. It's getting the typical rust above the rear wheels and on the rocker panels behind the doors. No biggee, body rust doesn't effect the way it runs.

However, lately while under the truck changing the oil & lubing the chassis I have noticed that some suspension components are getting a great deal of large flaky rust. The rear spring hangers have very thick rust which is to the point I'm concerned about the strength of that part. I tow a boat and I'm worried about them breaking under the pressure of the added weight. Ford has the hangers for $26/each, so it's not bad except for the major pain of grinding off the rivets Just yesterday I noticed the coil spring towers are doing the same thing. The factory coating is starting to peal back and reveal heavy rust underneath.

Is this a common problem on F-150's? The leaf hangers shouldn't be a problem, just time consuming. But what about the coil towers, should I worry about that? Maybe scrape them and use a rust inhibiting paint? Are there any other trouble spots I should be watching? Also, while I have the leaf springs off I figure that's a good time to replace the bushings. Can anyone suggest a good shackle and bushing set to replace the OEM?

Thanks guys!

 

Well, basically what happens is water gets under the paint flakes and won't evaporate. I was driving my truck and had a hanger break on the drivers side one time. Rivets arn't that bad. I just took 9-10 rivets off my truck. Grind em' down flat then I popped them out with an air chisel.