1984 F-250 4X4 6.9/T-19 D60 front D70 rear.

So I had this clunking noise that started up once things started getting cold here, sounds like a bad u-joint when driving up to 40mph then goes away (or is less noticeable anyway) finally got to crawling under there and looking around tonight and though dry and with very slight play the u-joints arent terrible. What really got me was the passenger side tie rod...





Guess I shoulda looked it over more carefully when I first got it this fall eh! so that explains one of the front end clunks. Would it be safe to make a spacer to go between the arm and tie rod end? or is the knuckle junk?

Another clunk I've been hearing is from the brake calipers, they have about 1/8" up and down movement and I'm thinking may be the clunking sound I'm hearing at lower speeds as they catch the spinning rotors causing them to rattle. how much play are they supposed to have? are there replaceable shims?

Also is it possible to do front wheel bearings and u-joints without special tools or what do I absolutely need to do it (which socket , pickle fork for kingpins or???) both front u-joints are non greaseable and have rust dust starting to make it's way out of the caps, and my DS wheelbearing has very slight play in it. So I'm gonna have to tear into it soon no matter what.

I've never worked on a 4X4 truck front diff before so it's all new to me. I am an atv/snowmobile mechanic and have been working on cars since I was in elementary school so I can master most mechanical pieces but dont want to run into a project with no clue considering I need it to get to work come monday mornin.

Tomorrow I'll cut whats left of the nut off the tie rod end and crank it on with a new nut and a couple washers to make it safer till I can do it properly, put about 3000km on it since I bought it, scary stuff!


All help is very appreciated, I'm gonna need it!

Thanks
Scott

 

That is in bad shape, and actually appears to be the wrong TRE. Notice that the shoulder is taller than the knuckle is thick.
What I mean is that even if you replace the castle nut, the shoulder of the TRE will hit, and you will run out of threads before you can apply any clamping force.
Now, on to bigger and better things. YOu will not be able to repair that knuckle. IT does seem to have been damaged by the loose fitting TRE. However, there is an option.
These options will be dictated by the year of the axle, and which type of steering you are running.
Larger chebby 1 ton Tie rod ends use a larger taper than most of our fords, and will require a larger hole in the knuckle. Fotunately, this can be done as a repair to our knucles in an attempt to salvage components such as this.

To remove the axles from your front end, you must remove the lockout assemblies, then remove the hub itself. The rotor and the hub will be held together by the wheel studs, and will appear to be one piece.
This is a good time to purchase the correct socket for your axle retaining nuts. While these can be removed without special tools, having the right tool for this job makes it that much easier.
SO now you have only this spindle there, and this requires the removal of 5 nuts that will require a 5/8" socket. Once removed the spindle should fall right off,,,,,,yeah right. Years of rust and neglect will require some heat, some beating, and will test yout patience. Many parts stores will rent you a spindle pulled, and it is suggested that you use one. YOu may get lucky and the spindle and caliper bracket will not fight you too much.
After the spindle is off, you can pull on the outer stub axle, and the entire axle assembly will pull right out.
Remove and replace the 1480 series u-joints as necessary, and reverse the process.
Take extra care not to damage the inner seals when shoving the axle shafts back in. These seals are right next to the carrier bearings inside of the inner most portion of the axle tubes, and can be damaged or nicked by the axle shaft during installation.
Only one way to replace those, and this requires the removal of the carrier itself. You dont want to go there, if you can avoid it, so carefully install the axle shafts again.

The spindle will only fit one way, so dont worry there, but do take notice of how the spindle and caliper bracket is stacked up. This is different than a chebby or dodge application so keep this in mind.
Use a liberal amount of anti seize for the back side of the spindle during installation, and inspect the needle bearings inside of the spindle.

Good luck with your venture.