Wifey decided that the clunk in the front suspension of the F250 (4x2) was no longer acceptable, so I go to the forum here, search on "front clunk", and voila! Answers! But since my mileage may vary, I decided to strike out on my own. Grandpa Truck now has 160k on the original bits, so I ordered the Rancho RS7000 shock absorbers front and rear, new front swaybar ends and bushings, and a new Monroe steering stabilizer. I pressure washed everything and soaked the fasteners in PB-Blaster. All was good with the world. The new parts came in (the Ranchos are the fancy chrome plated ones).

Rear shocks: 18mm impact, 15mm backup, 20 minutes without jacking up the truck. The Ranchos have a piece of plastic Band-It compressing it, so I installed the top bolt first, cut the band, and guided the bottom bolt home as the shock extended. Easy peasy. Swaybar ends: 18mm impact socket and 15mm backup, changed in 15 minutes with the help of my little floor jack. The new Moog parts were a little too big to fit in the top fork, and I had to grind the bushing down a little. Swaybar bushings: 15mm impact, 10 minutes, didn't even get my hands dirty.

And then, the front shocks. Remove the tire, bottom bolt 18mm impact, easy. Top bolt - what the hell size is this? 27/32? 22.5mm? NOTHING fits, so I used a 7/8 impact socket on my 1/2 drive flex ratchet, and a crescent wrench on the backup nut. Except there's no clearance, and I don't want to remove the air box/battery/power distribution box/whatever else is in the way. And there's hydraulic lines, battery cables, and whatnot. And why the hell is the top bolt three inches long? Anyway, thirty minutes each side to get the stupid thing off, and the Ranchos go on very slick. Yes, I did use anti-seize everywhere.

And, ohbytheway, the clunk turns out to have been the shocks PLUS the swaybar ends.


I think I found the source of the clunk. . .

The PBBlaster didn't make it far enough

Swaybar link top. Yep, it's worn.