Ttb axel wrap?

[JMF661]

Somebody may have replaced them before too. Mine are bolted on because 10 years ago somebody (me) replaced the bushings.

This may be the case. Crazy guys, I try not to get out the river buster unless I really have to.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

This may be the case. Crazy guys, I try not to get out the river buster unless I really have to.

It is a PITA but pulling the axle to change the radius arm bushings is a much bigger PITA.

 

[Alex_g]

Yes I still have stock radius arms Yeah I thought it was a much simpler job to grind out four rivets than pull the front end apart. I bolted it back on. Is that bad?
I guess it was a wast of Time now that I have to pull the front end apart to fix the other end of the radius arm anyways.
what’s a rivet buster? I just handed my dad a 8lb sledge and held a punch with some vice grips.

 

[ericbphoto]

I just handed my dad a 8lb sledge and held a punch with some vice grips.

 

[ericbphoto]

We'll, at least you used vice grips to hold the punch.

Our most recommended procedure around here is to grind slots in the river heads. Then chisel them off. Then punch the remainder of the river through with an air hammer.

They make it sound easy. It's still a lot of work and frustration. I haven't had good luck with the air hammer. So I use a large (3#?) hammer and a punch (10" piece of rebar with the end ground down to the diameter of the river hole). Maybe it's easier on rusty trucks.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

We'll, at least you used vice grips to hold the punch.

Our most recommended procedure around here is to grind slots in the river heads. Then chisel them off. Then punch the remainder of the river through with an air hammer.

They make it sound easy. It's still a lot of work and frustration. I haven't had good luck with the air hammer. So I use a large (3#?) hammer and a punch (10" piece of rebar with the end ground down to the diameter of the river hole). Maybe it's easier on rusty trucks.

Air hammers vary wildly too.

I used my dad's for my rear spring hanger rivets, each rivet too like 4 hits and was airborne. Truck isn't that rusty.

Nothing wrong with bolting stuff on as long as you use good hardware.

 

[JMF661]

I’ve had decent luck with air hammers/chisels. As long as you have a enough compressor capacity. It is still work, however I would probably prefer it to being showered in metal by a grinder.

 

[Alex_g]

So what kind of parts are there that could be broken in the axel/ radius arm. Just the two bolts?

 

[JMF661]

It might be worth dropping the beams and inspecting the pivot bushings and pivot structure coming off of the engine crossmember. This would be a fair amount of wrenching.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

So what kind of parts are there that could be broken in the axel/ radius arm. Just the two bolts?

One bolt on the bottom of each beam, one stud on the top of each beam. That they are tight and what they screw into is tight. Check that the beam is not cracked or broken.

 

[Alex_g]

So I backed out the bottom bolt that attaches the radius arm to the axel beam, that is where I found the play coming from, and it looks like The hole through the radius arm has been threaded? Am I correct in assuming that it should not be threaded.
the threads on the bolt look perfect no damage what so ever.
I still have the traction bar/sway bar bracket attached so that is the top layer with the ovelled out hole.

 

[JMF661]

So I backed out the bottom bolt that attaches the radius arm to the axel beam, that is where I found the play coming from, and it looks like The hole through the radius arm has been threaded? Am I correct in assuming that it should not be threaded.
the threads on the bolt look perfect no damage what so ever.
I still have the traction bar/sway bar bracket attached so that is the top layer with the ovelled out hole.

That’s the same configuration as mine, nothing seems wrong with it. Those pinch bolts are supposed to be exceptionally tight, 200 lbs or so if I remember right. Maybe yours was loose and sliding around?
Also did it have a washer backing up the bolt?

 

[snoranger]

Yeah. It looks like the bolt wasn’t tight enough, the radius arm and beam were shifting, and it bashed “threads” into it. My official recommendation is to put it back together and torque it to the proper spec.
What I’d do is put it back together and tighten the sh!t out of it.
Then see if it solves the problem.

 

[Alex_g]

What I’d do is put it back together and tighten the sh!t out of it.
Then see if it solves the problem.
[/QUOTE]

I tried that rout. I put a breaker bar with a 4’ pipe on it to tighten it. It helped a little bit but didn’t get rid of it. No idea what foot lbs I ended up at. My torque wrench maxes out at like 180-190lbs and it was below that when I initially threw my wrench on it to check it.

 

[Alex_g]

Is there a difference between 4wd control arm and a 2wd? Rock auto only sell 2wd arms and they look really similar