i have a 1981 f-150 with a 4" suspension lift. I currently have the stock radius arms on it with the drop brackets. I need to replace the bushings again on the arms between the arms and the brackets. Can i get away with unbilting the one bolt there taking off the tire and taking the shock off and pullint it out to change them?


will this affect my alighment?

also has anyone had a problem after getting a 4" lift put on and having a dual bushign alignment drivint strait? i meen 80% of the time it is ok but the other 20% it is pulling to the right if i pull hard left sometimes it will fix it. does this sound like a ball joint problem? THey are the originals. if so what is the best place to get them? are there any aftermarket systems?

 

the easiest way to change out the radius arm bushings is going to be unbolting the drop bracket from the frame and pulling it back from the radius arm itself. since you have the drop brackets it shouldn't be hard at all . As for a good aftermarket kit that would be a set of Daystar urethane bushings or whichever company you would like to go with the urethane will be alot stronger and last longer than the stock rubber ones

 

I agree that unbolting the drop brackets is the only way to go.

I also agree with polyurethane (say, Energy Suspension from Summit Racing?).

The alignment... well that depends on if you originally got it aligned with new, or newer, bushings, or if you had it aligned with the old worn ones.
For mine I held off on getting an alignment until I got the bushings in the truck, and quite honestly the darned thing was changed halfway to being totally aligned after I put the new ones in. I drove it to the alignment shop the next day and they did the rest. So my answer would be that "yes, new radius bushings will tend to change your alignment."

You'll have to be the judge as to if it needs attention from an alignment shop or not.

 

well they were replaced a year or 2 ago dir passenger one is fine but the driver side one is a little loose in shick it isent very loose at all except it clunks a little up and down but not enough to hurt anything, i just want to change it to get red of the clunking. anyone know about how much polyurthaneones cost?

has anyone installed longer radius arms? how hard would that be?

 

I think you're looking at something like $17 from Summit Racing (which is where I got mine, but I can't remember the price)
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=12166

My post about them, with pictures, is here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/DCForumID39/2669.html