A womans question HELP!!!!

[robynsgrampy]

Hello! I am trying to find out why my truck appears to have a missing part on the drivers side front suspension....I dont know when it happened but as the pics show, the passengers side is fine ......any help would be appreciated!
Robyn

[floyd67]

Radius arm bushing

[CNM67]

Anyone know what size that castle nut on the end there is?

[sargentrs]

3/4" NC. Bought mine at the local Ace hardware.

[sargentrs]

I replaced my bushings with these http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ENS-4-7107G They don't come with the washers or anything so be sure and rescue yours. The big one, on the front side of the bracket, may be stuck to the old bushing so don't throw it out by accident. Ask me how I know

[robroy]

Good morning Robyn,

I'd second Randy's suggestion to go with the Energy Suspension Polyurethane bushings. The after-market original-style bushings don't seem to be that great; after I installed mine, they began to crack and look old after only a month or two.

Replacing these bushings is easy if you've got the truck's front suspension mostly pulled apart, but it's tricky to do piecemeal. The trouble is that the radius arm (the arm upon which the bushings are placed), must be pulled forward, clear of that frame bracket that the bushings sandwich. I've read about folks doing this by using various means to pull really hard upon the front of that arm, where it joins on to the I-beam, but I haven't tried this myself. When I replaced mine, I had the entire front suspension apart so it was easier.

Having the disintegrated bushing situation you've got currently will cause the truck to drive funny. I'll let others who have experienced this elaborate more on what the typical symptoms might be, since I've never driven a Bumpside with bushings that toasted (yet).

Robroy

[sargentrs]

My suspension was disassembled when I put mine in too. The real difficulty with an assembled suspension would be that the tie rod/drag link are attached to the pitman arm on the steering box making a fixed, rigid point. If you jack both front tires off the ground, take the drag link loose at the pitman arm, or the tie rods loose at the spindles, you should be able to hook a ratchet strap or come-along around the spindle and to the front of the frame rail and pull it forward far enough to get the radius arm out of the bracket. I would recommend pulling both sides at the same time if possible, that lets it free swing. Count the threads or mark the position of the 3/4" nut first before you disassemble. The bushings may be stuck to the radius arm but they'll twist free with a little persuasion or just cut 'em in half with a sharp razor knife. When you put it back together, install the large washer first, then the front bushing, and slide the end of the radius arm through the bracket. Ease off of the tension on the ratchet strap and make sure the bushing is centered in the hole in the bracket first. Then install the outer bushing and washer and make sure it's centered in the bracket hole also. Install the nut and snug it against the washer to hold it all in place. Then release the rest of the tension, and tighten the nut back down to the same thread count it was before, and install the cotter pin. You may want to get it professionally aligned afterwards but that should be close enough. If you notice excess tire wear, I'd recommend alignment. Sounds difficult but it's not really. Getting the suspension pulled forward enough is the hardest part.

[robynsgrampy]

Thanks to all of you for your help.....now I know what part to buy and how to get this thing apart because of you guys help! Thats why I luv FORDIFICATION.com

[basketcase0302]

Having the disintegrated bushing situation you've got currently will cause the truck to drive funny.

I've seen them do a bunch of different things from the typical "wandering Ford" our trucks have always been described as-to shake the whole truck so bad you can hardly hold the steering wheel at certain speeds. Like Robroy said, it is a labor intensive job to replace them. For a part that usually costs around $20.00!

[robynsgrampy]

Its me Robyn....do you think I have to fix it soon? I like to take short trips once in awhile otherwise my truck is a"grocery-getter" but I really depend on this ol'truck. I would assume I gotta stay off the loggin' roads and watch out for potholes, but I really dont have a trustworthy mechainic right now. THX!

[max03]

does anyone know the correct part number for the energy suspension poly bushings on a 68 2wd bump?

[sargentrs]

Here's the one's I bought for my '70. Should be the same. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ENS-4-7107G You can call their tech line to verify but I'm pretty sure they're the same for '68-'72. I believe the actual Energy Suspension part number is just the 7107G part. They're contact info is at the bottom of their web page http://energysuspension.com/ I called them before I bought mine to verify and their tech dept is great. You have to go through a dealer though. They don't sell direct but you may have somebody local to you.

[sargentrs]

Its me Robyn....do you think I have to fix it soon? I like to take short trips once in awhile otherwise my truck is a"grocery-getter" but I really depend on this ol'truck. I would assume I gotta stay off the loggin' roads and watch out for potholes, but I really dont have a trustworthy mechainic right now. THX!

Robyn, that radius arm is probably floating back and forth at least an inch, with every turn of the steering wheel or increase/decrease in acceleration or braking, causing that side of your suspension to wobble forward and backward with it. Please replace it as soon as possible. I don't believe it's going to break or fall off or anything but it's definitely not safe to drive like that.