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WTB: Dana 35 Driver's Side Beam and Diff


PetroleumJunkie412

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7,825
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Dirtman's Basement
Vehicle Year
1988
Transmission
Manual
My credo
Give 'yer balls a tug. Fight me.
Well. Getting f***ing sick of the axle swap.

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Sandblaster uncovered a whole lotta meat missing from the drivers side beam pivot. Figures, I've already racked up a shit ton of hours in this one. This combined with the broken housing means I need a new drivers side assembly.

Anyone within driving distance of Pittsburgh have one?
 
The sleeve comes with a new pivot bushing kit.
 
I was going to suggest sleeve it. I don't know if you have the tools to diy tho.
Good luck with the search.
 
Yep. Looks like you have remnants of the old bushing sleeve in there. Typically you would tap those edges inward, and then drive the whole bushing sleeve through the beam and out. I learned this the hard way the first time I changed one. ;)

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I prescribe a press.
 
Press is probably a good idea. Might be awkward to hold the whole thing in place until you get it started. BFH and a driver sleeve (Ford special tool #chunkofpipe) also works. Pretty sure that's how I did mine.
 
Sleeves were rotted.

I'm an idiot.
Don't feel bad. Until I just read the latest posts I thought that was all original beam. That's what happens when you haven't done a job before....you learn things...glad I read this thread and now I don't have to look like an idiot when I go to change my beam bushings...lol.
 
Don't feel bad. Until I just read the latest posts I thought that was all original beam. That's what happens when you haven't done a job before....you learn things...glad I read this thread and now I don't have to look like an idiot when I go to change my beam bushings...lol.
Yep. Didn't know they existed.

@85_Ranger4x4 pointed it out via text; all l I had on hand were the Duff poly bushings which do not come with sleeves. He sent me a screenshot of the entire kit from rock auto, and I immediately felt like an idiot lol.

Ripped the disintegrated ones out in less than 30 seconds with my Leatherman.
 
In my case the duff bushings would have been the way to go. My sleeves were in great shape and were a major PITA to remove. My Energy Suspension bushings had to use their own sleeve.

I didn’t know Duff had such a thing...
 
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Been trying to use all poly bushings and as many duff components as I can. Poly has always been preferable for me, and I was really impressed with the quality of their stuff when mightyfordranger gave me a set of their radius arm bushings.
 
The sleeves are easy to remove with an air chisel. I've done a lot of them that way.

I use OEM style rubber bushings when possible. I have not had good luck with poly bushings... I have had too many of them crack and fall apart. Rubber does the same thing but not nearly as fast in my experience.
 
The sleeves are easy to remove with an air chisel. I've done a lot of them that way.

I use OEM style rubber bushings when possible. I have not had good luck with poly bushings... I have had too many of them crack and fall apart. Rubber does the same thing but not nearly as fast in my experience.

I wasn't really impressed with the Energy Suspension kit. The conglomeration of bushings was a greasy sloppy mess that like had hydraulic pressure wanting to push them apart so as I was trying to wrestle the beam in the truck the bushings kept wanting to fall apart.

The factory 1985 ones didn't look too bad despite the 2.8 puking oil on them for years and years, I think if I have to go down the road again I would just put in good rubber ones (Motorcraft if I could)
 
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The sleeves are easy to remove with an air chisel. I've done a lot of them that way.

I use OEM style rubber bushings when possible. I have not had good luck with poly bushings... I have had too many of them crack and fall apart. Rubber does the same thing but not nearly as fast in my experience.

Well, the front suspension is flapping like bat wings. Something has to give! LOL

Granted, it is a superior suspension system to what I have in either of my Ranger front ends but that is a lot of mass and movement to keep control of.
 

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