I just replaced my rear springs hangers. Really need to use an air hammer with a good chisel tip. Use a cut off wheel to cut some "Xs" on the rivet heads and then chiseld them right off. Gwt between the frame and the old mount, should be a lip and them chisel it in amd the mount should pop off.

I spent (Wasted) lots of time trying to drill rovets out and dmach the mounts with a plain hammer. No dice.

 

Angle grinder with a flap disk makes quick work of those rivet heads. Used that to replace spring hanger and bump stop brackets. Used 7/16" bolts instead of the 3/8" that came with the brackets.

 

Remove the fasteners, reinstall the shock and go for a short ride... the bumps in the road will uninstall that bracket

 

In the last couple of days I noticed when I want to come to a stop, I felt a noticeable amount of vibration in the front. My 1996 F250 4x4 is over 8500 GVWR as an FYI. I took off my passenger side wheel so far, I am inclined to think my driver's side wheel looks similar. I'm pretty sure I need new pads, it appears O'Reilly has Wagner MX655 for about $54 a pair. NAPA has Proformer for $48 a pair and a Thermoquiet for $67 a pair. Are new caliper piston seals difficult to install?

One of the two pads I pulled off the passenger side

 

If you need new piston seals, the bores are probably corroded anyway, best to get a pair of rebuilt callipers, or new aftermarket from powerstop.

 

The piston seals broke on that side of the front axle, only because of how I was trying to remove the caliper at first, my technique at first was not the best but I was able to remove it. The driver's side seals for the caliper pistons are good.

 

The main ground on V8's goes to the lower passengers side face of the engine block, from the battery negative terminal, and attaches to the frame on the way there.
On straight 6 engines, the main ground goes to one of the starter mounting bolts, and attaches to the frame on the way there.

 

A few weeks ago, we went camping and kayaking. Enroute to the kayaking site, it felt like we were fighting a headwind the whole way, and when we go to the kayak outfitter, the driver's front rim was hot and smelled like brakes. On a Sunday afternoon. Awesome.

After the awesome kayak trip ("Coosa River Adventures" rocks!), I managed to find a reman caliper at an Autozone (30 mins away in Montgomery). Weirdly, the brake issue resolved itself on the way to the Autozone but I didn't trust it. With visions of having to change the caliper on the side of the interstate, I bought the new one just in case. We got home ok, but I still don't trust it.

Today, I put it on. Not sure if it needed to be replaced, but I didn't want any surprises the next time out. Not sure why Ford went with the "drive-'em-out" pins vs. bolting it to the caliper bracket, but whatever.

Still gotta get the shock mount off, and Freeda's getting due for an oil change. And just to be sure, I should probably replace the passenger caliper.

So I've got that going for me.

Which is nice.

 

Replacing the caliper was the right thing to do, also replacing the other is also. Since one went, the other is just a matter of time. I replaced both of mine two different times over the years for the same thing.

 

Started the day dropping front tank to install new fuel pump module(spectra precision). I don't know why everyone dreads the job as it wasn't bad other than the seal that came w/ lock ring wasn't workable. Then installed new plugs all around and swapped a distributer in that i had put a new pick-up in. Adjusted the timing. And discovered egr Solenoid was bad.

 

Parking brake was weak to non existent. Hmmmmm, no I know why!



New wheel seal, new shoes, clean the crap up!

 

Replaced the passenger side brake caliper, and gained a bonus story highlighting my dumba$$ery about test fitting parts.

I got the tire off and was looking at caliper orientation. No matter which way I turned it, I couldn't get it to "test fit". I fiddled with it for a bit but the brake line connection and bleeder were always in the wrong location. At this point, I would have sworn on my eyes that I had accidentally gotten a driver's side caliper. No biggie. So back to the FLAPS I go and explain that I just want to swap out this caliper for a passenger-side caliper.

As the lady is in the back getting the *other* caliper, the clue bird lands and I orient *this* caliper correctly in my mind. The same one that 30 minutes before wouldn't work no matter what. "Uh, nevermind. Thanks for your help."

Got it back home and installed without a hitch. I'm a moron.

 

Used one of my trucks to haul my trailer down to Williamsburg, VA for Memorial Day weekend!

 

Freeda got new passenger door hinge pins today. Man, what a PITA!

I traced the hinge positions on the door before I removed the hinges so I could get it back together the right way. Got the door off and stable, but took forever to get the top pin out. Bottom one came out ok. I don't have power locks or windows, so the only wire in the rubber elbow was a speaker wire and it pulled out a bit, so all was well.

I improvised a press to get the bushings out using some sockets and a C-clamp. They came out pretty easy.

First, a 1/4"-drive torx bit thru the bushing as the pusher:


Then a larger socket on top as the receiver; note that it will actually sit over the bushing to allow it to be pushed through:


Finally, the C-clamp to make the magic happen:


The Boss helped me get the door back up and level by playing jenga with some wood scraps underneath it while I held it up; also used a strap from the windshield wiper post to the door to hold it stable. Lined up with the hinge bolt holes pretty good! I was able to get the top pin fully seated and the little E-clip on, but I couldn't get the bottom pin down far enough to get the E-clip on. I'll keep an eye on it. Door definitely closes better and has less slop but I need new striker bushings.

See y'all out there!

 

Nice work