It's interesting that the rear few feet of frame rust first on these trucks.

 

I bought a ranger that was missing the shackles and brackets completely. The only part of the bracket left was the part held on by the rivets. Lucky the springs didn't go through the bed after driving it like that for about a month.

 

If you plan on having the truck another 20 years, sandblast the OEM paint off. Then drill a drink hole in the bottom of the rear hanger and coat them with some POR15 or the like

Front hangers use 1/2" bolts, rears use 7/16"

 

Heres a better picture. Thats not flaking paint, its metal. At least half the steel is gone.
Totally unsafe IMO

 

Yup, might as well remove and replace. Picked my rears up from Bronco Grave Yard. They have non-OEM for a whole lot less cash...

1980-1997 Ford Bronco and F-Series OEM Rear Spring Hanger-Broncograveyard.com

 

thechief66 - I agree with most everyone else here that those hangars are perfectly fine. The reason you haven't sold any in 15 years as a Ford parts guy is because they are still fine. I can tell you that all Ford trucks of this era look like that underneath - unless they have been sand blasted and repainted - and they are just fine.
Having said that, it is your truck, you're the one driving it, and if you feel they are unsafe, then that's the end of it - they are unsafe. Even if it's just for piece of mind, it's worth it to you to replace them. They are relatively easy to remove and replace, and as in most repairs, getting the old stuff off is the hardest part. a couple of the rivets are herd to get at, but with the right tools, shouldn't take you too long. BTW, the new ones come with a bolt kit, so you shouldn't have to buy bolts for it. good luck!

 

BTW, in case you need the service manual section, here it is:

 

I have the FSM, but thanks for posting that anyway.
This truck has been my DD since 2001, and I also tow a travel trailer that weighs about 9000 lbs loaded, so just ignoring this is not an option.
To those of you that have actually done this job-is it best to remove the leaf spring entirely? I'm thinking that taking the extra few minutes to undo the u bolts and getting the spring out of the way would be time well spent...

 

Due to the low rust, removing the leaf spring may make things easier. Especially if you are doing the front and rear brackets. If you remove the leaf springs, you might want to get new U bolts as some people don't reuse them. You might need a cutting torch to remove the bolt if it is stuck in the bushing (not unlikely).

 

If you have access to a good air chisel, you won't have to grind the heads off(work hard at getting into those little areas). Cut them with the chisel(wear lots of hearing protection) and it will go quicker then grinding.

I still use the air chisel I bought from JC Whitney 30 sum years back. It just won't quit.

 

The HARDEST part about the whole job will be removing the bolt from the spring eye. they LOVE to seize in there. Maybe in CO it is not much of an issue but Out here, I typically just cut the spring hangers off the frame and throw the springs and hangers right in the scrap pile. God know that the 20 year old leaf sings are worn out just like the hangers are rusted

 

X2 that bolt is hell. If you save the springs just burn up the bushing.

 

When I replaced the rear hanger on my F 250 I took the bed off as I was also replacing a fuel tank and fuel lines. With the bed off it was about a 10 minute job, I lifted the rear end by the hitch with a front end loader till the tires were just off the ground, cut the rivet heads off with a grinder, popped the stubs of the rivets out through the frame, removed the bolt through the spring, replaced all the associated parts, put one bolt in place, used a drift pin on two others and the fourth one slipped right into place.

It literally took my longer to get tools out or put tools away than it did to changed the hanger.

 

Both of my 92 F150 reg cab rear spring hangers were completely rusted through. I replaced them with hangers from the local Ford dealer as I didn`t to wait for having ones shipped here.

 

[QUOTE=Diesel_Brad;17122184]If you plan on having the truck another 20 years, sandblast the OEM paint off. Then drill a drink hole in the bottom of the rear hanger and coat them with some POR15 or the like

Glad you said this Brad. Exactly what I have in mind for everything I can reach.