radius bushing replacement
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 34
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From: minnesota
radius bushing replacement
I see in the haynes ford manual something about some Ford tools to remove the bushings from the twin I beam and other parts of the suspensions.
what's the backyard way to do it?
88-150 2 wheel drive/ 300
thanks!
what's the backyard way to do it?
88-150 2 wheel drive/ 300
thanks!
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,113
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From: Remsen, NY
I just did my radius arm bushings a little over a week ago.
I air hammered (chisel) the rivet heads off and air hammered (punch) them out. I drilled them out to 1/2". I had to heat the big nut a little and then the air impact took it off. You need a 1 1/8" socket for that. Once the bracket is loose you can pull it off, put the new bushings in place and put it back together, replacing the rivets with grade 8 1/2" bolts with washers. I torqued mine to 90ft/lbs.
The "right" way is to take the coil spring and shock out with the wheel off and pull the suspension forward enough to dislodge it from the radius arm bracket. Too much work and there was a TSB about replacing those rivets with grade 8 bolts anyway. The TSB says to drill through the center of the rivets with a 3/16 drill or something and then air hammer the rivet off, it may be easier that way.
I don't know what they're talking about for special tools, maybe you're talking about the bushings at the inner end of the i-beams instead? The radius arm bushings are the pieces just at the front of the cab, the radius arms run along the length of the frame from the bottom of the coil spring back to the radius arm bracket mounted to the frame.
I air hammered (chisel) the rivet heads off and air hammered (punch) them out. I drilled them out to 1/2". I had to heat the big nut a little and then the air impact took it off. You need a 1 1/8" socket for that. Once the bracket is loose you can pull it off, put the new bushings in place and put it back together, replacing the rivets with grade 8 1/2" bolts with washers. I torqued mine to 90ft/lbs.
The "right" way is to take the coil spring and shock out with the wheel off and pull the suspension forward enough to dislodge it from the radius arm bracket. Too much work and there was a TSB about replacing those rivets with grade 8 bolts anyway. The TSB says to drill through the center of the rivets with a 3/16 drill or something and then air hammer the rivet off, it may be easier that way.
I don't know what they're talking about for special tools, maybe you're talking about the bushings at the inner end of the i-beams instead? The radius arm bushings are the pieces just at the front of the cab, the radius arms run along the length of the frame from the bottom of the coil spring back to the radius arm bracket mounted to the frame.
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 38
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From: Platteville, WI
When I have to do mine again, I am going to go the route first mentioned above.
I removed enough "stuff" until I could remove it from the bracket, a lot of sweat and cussing was involved when I did it that way.
I removed enough "stuff" until I could remove it from the bracket, a lot of sweat and cussing was involved when I did it that way.
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 34
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From: minnesota
thanks! I noticed the bushings look kind of shot. figured just remove the ones at the end of the twin I beams instead of removing the springs and other stuff at the wheels. However I haven't looked at those either. Didn't look too hard to pull apart and figured there has to be an easier way to do it without the hassle of someone doing it for me$$$... if you know what I mean.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: SE Texas
You may be asking about the axle pivot bushings (apb), those are at the ends of the axle beams. (The radius arms [rab] go back toward under the cab to a bracket on the frame). The apb is pressed into the axle beam, and the Haynes manual refer's to some special Ford tools to pull these bushings. Good luck finding the tools, cause I could not find'em ANYWHERE!!!! Two options to get them out. First, is to use an air chisel and knock them out. This will damage the metal sleeve on the old bushing, but the new ones usually come with the rubber and sleeve as one unit. The other method is to make your own "equivalent" tools. This is what I did, as I needed the metal sleeve. Using a flat metal plate and a 2-1/2"dia. pipe collar, insert a 8" long all-thread bolt thru the plate, collar and the hole in the bushing. Attach washers and bolts to both ends and tighten as much as it will go. Tap with a hammer and the bushing pops out. Install using the same "tool" to press the apb to specs listed in manual. The bushing has a lip on one side and will only come out one direction. I installed poly urethane bushings isntead of the rubber ones. After 20 years, there was very little left of the original ones!!!
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 228
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From: chino valley az
better idea on both.. poly in the axle pivot is easy. heat the exterior of the shell till the rubber bushing begins bubble. once it does, push it out. clean the inside of the shell, and install the polyurathane bushing in the old shell. actually cheaper than the rubbers too. around 25.00 after tax for both sides. as for the radius arm bushing, or as some same track arm bushings, there is a really easy way to do them. remove the front wheel. remove lower shock bolt. loosen lower spring mount bolt(on the bottom of the spring, not the one on the bottom of the i beam). remove upper spring mount tab. remove nut on back of radius arms, and slide the arm forward. without air tools it will take you about 45 minutes a side, with air tools around 20. i did these in my shop for years. could do radius arms as well as axle pivots it less than 90 minutes both sides, and reset the toe. not as easy on the 4wd, but a whole lot better than messing up your frame or radius arm mount bracket becuase a bolt worked loose and walloed out the hole..
Kurt
Kurt
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Joined: Aug 2004
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I just replaced my radius arm bushing today using the "take off the bracket" method. I didn't have an air chisel, but i found enough air hammer attachments to get them broke off. It was pretty easy other than the part where i had to align the bracket back up after putting in the new bushing, but i eventually got it done. I used the 1/2" 8 grade bolts that someone mentioned earlier and now the clunking sound that i was getting earlier is gone, however there is still a slight shimmy or vibration when i brake. Could that be caused by my front brakes working better than my back? thanks
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Posting Guru
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does it shimmy or does it seem like the front of the truck kinda "walks around" under hard braking. if its a shimmy even on light braking, i'd say its your front rotors. gust get new ones, i dont think they too exensive. use your old bearings and ack real good. if its walking like say you are pulling a heavy trailer and your back brakes don't work and when you try to stop pretty hard the front of the truck walks."really scary i might add with a 12,000 lbs farm tractor and gooseneck) if it kinda seems like that, then it may be your back brakes. but i doubt it if your brakes seem to work good. if they are tight at the edal and not spongy. i'd bet money its just the front rotors tho.
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Auburn, OH
I did the radius arm on one side of my friends truck The braket actually had torn so we had to take it off, but it was bolted on already so it was easy, this is a 96 so the little changes may have been made already at the factory. I can't seem to get the nut off the drivers side radius arm no matter what I do. I even heated it and put a 3ft breaker on there and it didn't budge. Any suggestions? Right now we are doing the shacle mounts on the rear springs (which where also torn) and replacing them using bolts. I just took an angle grinder too the rivets to get them off, of course we were re-doing the brakets so I didn't care if I ground into them a little.
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 34
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From: minnesota
didn't have the time to check the bushings so I opted to do the payment option. Glad I did.. seems the bushings are fine it was a broken motor mount causing some troubles. Lots cheaper... hehe
thanks again!
thanks again!