Radius arm bushings easy?

[reno]

I hope never to encounter these again once I am done. They suck, and are a PIA!

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

we told you it wouldnt be that easy

 

[bobbywalter]

easy ???

what so hard?

 

[metalmacguyver]

Care to share the details of what sounds like was a long and arduous battle with your truck?

 

[reno]

I did the P.S. so far, the friggin catalytic converter is in the way for torquing the nut. I don't have a 1 1/8" wrench, or a extension bar long enough to go through the coil spring to the nut. So i ground the heads off the rivets and unbolted the crossmember to remove the bracket from the Arm, after 10 minutes of fighting, I finally got it. Good thing also, I found the engine side (Front) Rubber split, weird, I had no symptoms, just wanted to get it out of the way since the truck is a 93, and did not want any added problems. Then Aligning it back up started to be a night mare, but manged it pretty easily. Now i need to goto Lowes and get 4 1/2" grade 5 nut and bolt with crush washers.

OH yeah, the rivets do not like coming out easy either, Tomorrow I will use my ait chisel on the other side. With doing all this, guess what else i found........P.S. only Ball joints starting to go. Geesh, I'll have to wait about a week or 2 before starting them, I could just imagine what that will be like!

I guess once i get this all done, I'll have to out and do some serious playing with ol Blue.

 

[bobbywalter]

hmmm. use a cut off wheel on the grinder....should be a 10 min deal.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

id rather do ball joints than radius arm bushings...at least the first time around when you have to fight those rivets...guess it wouldnt be so bad after you replace them with bolts.

 

[reno]

That is how I did it today,4" grinder, body mount bracket is in the way and slowed me down to prevent grinding wrong spots. Had to drill the rivets after griding the heads off, they would not budge with the BFH and a punch. Air chisels tomorrow, much easier in my opinion.

Total time spent including going back to A.Z. because they gave me the wrong (now that would never happen...now would it?) 5 times going back!!!!! I did the wheel bearings as well, I would say around 4 hrs. Now tomorrow all air tools, lets see how long it takes then. BTW, I did not use the Air tools today because it was raining and I would have to pull out my motorcycle to give clearance for the Air Comp. I don't let my bike get wet,dusty or dirty, you have to be a rider to understand.

 

[reno]

id rather do ball joints than radius arm bushings...at least the first time around when you have to fight those rivets...guess it wouldnt be so bad after you replace them with bolts.

The ranger has Ball joints that I am not used to. ow much of a bear am I looking at with these? They appear to be easy, but so did the R.A. Bushings

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

not too bad...the hardest part will be actually removing the old joints (they rust/seize into the knuckle).

pull tires, brakes, bearings, spindle, tie rod ends, axle shafts (for the passenger side just cut one of the clamps on the slip joint dust boot and pull the shaft apart), mark your eccentric bushing (located in the top balljoint hole in the axle beam...if you rotate this bushing you will mess up your alignment), then pull the knuckle, swap balljoints and put it all back together.

 

[reno]

OK, are you talking about the part on the top B.J. that has, what looks like a govenor clamp like on small engines? When I mark it, I take it as when I put the new B.J. back it must go exactly as it came out?

 

[metalmacguyver]

I just did all of mine. It was so easy with the ball joint tool kit that Advanced Auto had in their tool rental program. that and my cordless impact got each knuckle done in probably 5 minutes (ball joint extraction and installation only) per knuckle. Very worth it.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

this is the best picture i have. the large, hex head on the very top of the axle beam...the end of the ball joint sticks up through it. you can see how its offset and turning it will move the top ball joint in and out (changing chamber). it needs to be clocked the same in relation to the axle beam when everything goes back together. the smaller (12mm?) 12-point bolt in the side is the pinch bolt. when its tight, it holds the eccentric bushing and ball joint in place. you need to remove it to remove the upper ball joint (and hense the entire knuckle) from the rig.

hope this isnt too confusing