My 150 is BROKE please help!

[cavibird2005]

pulling out of the local arby's (I love a good roast beef) something just snapped under the truck, and all of a sudden my front left tire is draggin on the inner fender! I limped the old girl home. I think its just a bushing on the arm that connects the lower A to the frame. Unsure of what its called. will post a pic shortly. Need help here its a DD

 

[cavibird2005]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60850092@N02/6067331116/

 

[CHKNFKR]

Holy rusted metal batman! Looks like your radius arm bracket rusted out and the arm pushed through. Gonna need a new bracket, for sure. I'd even replace the bushings while you're at it. Also might wanna consider taking a look at the other side, it can't be too far behind. I'd also wanna evaluate the beams, their brackets and bushings as well.

 

[cavibird2005]

So the brackets are 55 on and 62 for bushings locally

Redneck on a budget here. Anything stopping me from just slapping a 3/16" plate on either side of that bracket and than tightening it down? It would be temporary. you know just till I win the lottery.

 

[jhammel85]

Best way to fix it is to buy the bushings and brackets..Sorry but that's the one and only way in my opinion.

 

[cavibird2005]

Yea I was just joking. The bushings would never seat correctly if I did some thing like that.

I ordered the parts today. No one in town stocks them. Weird, you'd think here in MN this would be a common problem. Going to do the shocks too, Sick of getting motion sickness at every stop light

 

[CHKNFKR]

when you've got the front end apart, hit everything rusty with a wire brush and at the very least hit it with some paint to keep it from getting worse. And as i said above, its only a matter of time before the other side lets go, so i'd give it a little attention too!

 

[cavibird2005]

when you've got the front end apart, hit everything rusty with a wire brush and at the very least hit it with some paint to keep it from getting worse. And as i said above, its only a matter of time before the other side lets go, so i'd give it a little attention too!

I'm doing both sides. And I picked up some Rustoleum and a flapper wheel grinding disk just for that purpose.

 

[CHKNFKR]

How far did you "limp" the truck home?

 

[cavibird2005]

2 miles, I drove it till it started scrapping, pulled over to the side of the road put in in reverse smashed the gas than stomped on the breaks to move the axle forward. Than just creeped back into traffic real slow till it started scrapping again.

 

[CHKNFKR]

Have you looked at your ibeam bushings and the crossmember they're bolted to? I suspect trouble there as well.

 

[cavibird2005]

Yea everything on that end looked OK. Not perfect but nothing is loose. Just surface rust, and a little weather checking on the bushing it self.

 

[cavibird2005]

But than again it maybe just because she's a lil twisted right now that it seems tight. I'll swap out those as well once its back together. But the backets themselves were good.

 

[cavibird2005]

All back together

I got off work early today and picked up my parts. Had to torch off the old brackets and the bushing retaining nuts. But she's all back together now. Noticed my front brake lines were looking questionable and did those too. Installed some lifetime warranty Monroe Super HD shocks. While I had it on jack stands I checked the pivot bushings, and they still seem pretty tight. So I left them alone.

Thanks CHKNFKR and Jhammel! I owe you two a beer, next time your swinging through St. Cloud.

 

[CHKNFKR]

Good to hear you're back in one piece! Anything exciting to do in St. Cloud?