check out the pictures (88 ford xlt lariat), but what next?https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...&albumid=15527

when I bought the truck the raduis arm was replaced before, is it common that the 'arm' on the left side does this?

is it easy to replace and should I go with a stock 'arm' or a aftermarket?

what other mechanical 'things' should I look for as in terms of damage to the front end?

when I heard a "thunk" which was the bolt hitting the floor board, I stopped and checked it out, I cant see any damage except for the obvious.

any suggestions or ideas would help.

 

That is *not* normal or common. I've never seen a broken radius arm. If it's a stock arm, I would replace it with stock.

It should be pretty easy to replace, but you have to unbolt a bunch of stuff in the front end.

It might be a good idea to get it aligned after you replace it, too. Have the alignment shop check for any strangeness in the front end, too.

 

I passed on a full sized bronco (96?) once because of cracks in a radius arm, only one I have ever seen. The truck looked and ran great otherwise. It was a gov vehicle and likely had seen some rough treatment in law enforcement work.

 

I broke the driver's side arm on my 86 F-150 a few years ago. It broke near the spring mount, tipping the axle somewhat causing a really nasty pull. I don't know how or why it happened, but I've never seen another one break. Definately not a common problem.

 

looking more closely at the bolt that broke, it seams that there were stress fractures already, called around for the 'arm' and would it be a good idea to replace the bracket that it attached to the frame? and are there aftermarket or stock?
I have access to a welder and machine shop, can I weld an extra plate or something to stiffen the bracket or radius arm?

 

Don't know how old this post is but. My son called me night before last and said his truck was making a loud banging noise on the road. He was about 40 miles away from home seeing his girlfriend. It was dark and he had no flash light. So I told him I'd be there in about 45 minutes to see what we could do. When I got there, I looked around and finally seen the radius arm was broken where the bushings are. He looks at me and said that might explain this, he found part of the bushing in the parking lot when he was leaving Wal-Mart. Duh! Anyways I drove it home at 15 miles an hour and parked it for the night. Called a few junk yards for a radius arm for a 95 f150 4x4 and nothing. Finally found one about an hour away. Got it and we had it fixed in a couple hours. Once I got it off and looked at it better, you could tell the stud welded on the arm had stress cracks in it. The new break was only about a 1/4 of an inch wide in the middle of the stud. The rest was rusted and had been that way for a while. When calling around for the arm, they all told me that it was a common problem and they sold more of the left side than the right. If I had to do it again I think I would replace it with an after market one from a good lift company. His truck does have a 6" lift on it and may have contributed to the problem. Just thought I would chime in and tell you what I found out! Untill yesterday, I'd never heard of this happening either.