ok i had a problem tonite. i heard some strange creaking noises coming from the back of my truck and when i got to my destination i looked under and saw something horrific. the 90 degree metal piece that connects the back of the leaf springs on the right side to the frame was all cracked and twisted up. looked like it was hangin on by less than an inch of metal. sure enough when i left, five minutes later while driving i heard a pop so i got out and checked it and yea u guessed it. it broke off. i had just got my car inspected last week so as u can imagine that reallly ****es me off that they at least didnt tell me there could be an issue. i drove it home carefully but am pretty sure im not supposed to drive it. my question is that is this reallly bad so much that i shouldnt drive it or can i drive it but just be careful? please look at my picture! i need to know promptly as this is my only mode of transportation! thanks in advance

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=37666&width=0

 

I've seen that often...my dads F-250 is cracking..and my other truck broke similarly but on the shackle not the actual bracket. That won't necessarily hurt anything, as there is a bed support beam going across, so you won't dent the bed sheet metal, but you are basically supporting 1/8th or less of the vehicles weight on that point. I won't think you'll break anything more, but...those two metal pieces are rubbing on eachother. It won't be hard at all to fix this. Buy a new bracket for the frame (as well as a new hanger while your at it), and bolt it on the frame in the same holes using grade 8 bolts. Fix it ASAP and don't drive it unless you HAVE to.

 

ok this is good. so basically there are just those four bolts holding the piece that cracked? so i can do this work w/o any tools but a socket wrench? no rivits? what is the name of this part, where can i get it, and how much am i lookin at??

 

Yeah, don't drive it like that. In the pic, it looks like the bottom of the bed is holding up the rear of your truck right now.

If you can weld, or have a friend who can, you can clean up the joint, jack up the that side of the truck by the fame untill the two sides mate again and weld it back together so you can drive it to a frame repair shop and have a new spring mount put on it. If you can't weld it, have it towed.

Other option would be to park the truck untill you can locate another spring mount and grind off the rivets holding the broken one on, drill out the holes and bolt the new one on (with the truck on jack stands of course).

This happened to my neighbors Chevy not too long ago, except his happened when he was 4 wheeling and the tire came up and hit the body and dented it up.

 

...just saw the other posts above... yeah, there are rivets, you will need a grinder and a drill, as well as a jack and a couple jack stands

 

There's no point in towing it, even if it's on a flat bed the truck's suspension will still be absorbing bounces from the tow truck (which is actually worse). It is rubbing on the bed, but theres a beefy beam going across so it's strong enough (its not just pressing on the thin sheet metal of the bed). There are rivets holding that bracket on to the frame that have to be removed. What you need to do is get a new bracket, and shackle. I also suggest getting a bolt kit too. Ford sells a bag of bolts for the front and rear ends of the leaf springs w/ nuts. You're going to have to remove those bolts on the bracket connecting it to the shackle and to the leaf spring. Just so you know, many times the colar inside the bushing on the leaf spring will rust itself to the bolt, and you won't be able to turn it. If that happens, the best way to get the job done is to use a saw-zall or hack saw and cut the bolt between the bushing and the bracket (hense having new bolts is good). Then pull the leaf spring down and use a punch to hit it out. Get a new shackle too while your at it, I bet that's almost gone too. You'll need to drill out the rivets on that bracket, or use a grinder to take the head off and use an air chisel to punch it out. It's really not that bad, but not having the right tools will make it a pain. First thing I'd do is try to loosen those bolts and see if that colar is rusted to the bolt. If you cant get those bolts free, it'll be a pretty difficult job.

 

Justin, I can't agree that driving the truck that way would be safer than towing it, especially on a flatbed. During driving, the vehicle and axle are subject to alot more motions and stresses than when riding on the back of a tow truck. I would avoid driving it that way. If the truck has already made it home, there's no reason to go on driving it like that.

 

Well...how so...the pickup would be riding on a flat bed trailer, the suspensions on those tow trucks are a lot rougher than the truck itself. Therefore, whatever the tow truck goes over, the pickup has to hit too, maybe harder since the tow truck's suspension is worse than the pickup's. I don't agree with that statement at all. Regardless, I don't believe it's worth the tow bill (lots of money)...even if you think it'll do less "damage".

See how it's resting on that brace going accross, it's not really doing anything to the sheet metal of the bed itself. All it's going to do is rub two pieces of thick strong metal together...so...it's up to him ultimately. I drove mine a little bit that way before and it was fine because that brace is there. If it was just rubbing on the sheet metal of the bed i'd say no..but...to each his own.

 

When a vehicle is riding on a flatbed, it is chained down to the flatbed by the frame, which limits body movement. In any event, the truck can also be towed with the rear end up with a boom/sling and the spring or axle chained up to the frame to prevent the axle from drooping on the damaged side.

 

you chain down a vehicle by the axles, not the frame, if you chain down by the frame you have to compress the suspension to make it safe to tow, if you dont one good bump and there goes a hook, well atleast thats how people tow around here

 

ATC, that is true about compressing the suspension, and vehicles can be chained iether way. Depends on how the driver sees fit to do it and where is the most accessible place to hook onto.

 

These trucks are usually towed by the axles..as they're strong enough..and there isn't a very good spot on the frame. Either way..I don't think he wants to pay the bill for a tow truck when ..the difference between towing it and not towing it..isn't much "damage" if any...

 

ok well i wont get it towed cause im poor. so that ends that. anyway is the shackle the piece that connects the leaf to the bracket? either way where do i get the brackets and shackles and bolts?

oh and acutally what i think is holding it up is the bolt right above the crack. u'll see what im tlkin bout in the pic. it looks like an inch or less of the threds on the other side are jammed up against the frame.

 

Go to the ford dealership and get the pt #'s...then go to fordpartsonline.com and get the prices...print them out...(usually they are a bit cheaper) ...then bring the print-outs to the dealer and usually they'll match the price to get a lil better deal. Remember, no tax on internet stuff, but s/h and time..but ford is the place to get them.

You are correct about the shackle, and make sure you get the correct brackets...2wd and 4wd's are different.

 

I dunno, sounds like a Chevrolet problem to me....



drive it, thats what you'd be doing if you hadn't noticed the crack