Axle Pivot Bushing

[jdavidsmi]

Once the weather warms back up a bit, my garage is not heated. I need to replace the axle pivot bushings on my 84 F150 4x4. wondering if this can be done with the i-beams in the truck or just bite the bullet and pull it all out.

Also has anyone had any luck with just replacing the bushing parts and leaving the outer sleeve alone?

David

[PetesPonies]

I lived in Maryland for most of my life. I worked in my shop all through the winter. I used a torpedo heater when in the 20s, but otherwise, just put on a few sweatshirts. I'm in SC now, so milder. But last week was cold as hell ( teens at night, barely 30s in the day ), and I worked all through it doing restoration stuff. So I'm not feeling sympathy for you at all  :) As for your bushing, whenever you replace the rubber with a poly bushing, the bushing shell is left in place. You remove the rubber and insert a lubricated poly bushing. I would guess this is similar. I always removed the rubber bushing with some heat, fire. Its smelly, but once it gets hot enough it just slides out of the shell. I have done this many times with later model Mustangs. If you drop the side of the axle where the bushing is, you can make the repair there. If you needed to remove the entire bushing, it could be easier with the axle in a press. But certainly leaving the steel shell in place can be done on the truck . . unless I'm really missing something here. Hope it helps. I'm headed back outside now  :)

[Ford F834]

I was going to do the pivot bushings in mine when I did the 4x4 swap but they just were not that bad so I left them alone. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos on the subject and decided that if I was going to do it that leaving the sleeve in the pivot arm and replacing with the 2-piece poly bushing would be the way to go. Granted this is arm chair advice since I didn't actually do it. From what I saw, either type of bushing can be done without removing the pivot arm from the vehicle.

[85lebaront2]

Not on a Ford, but just did the ones on my LeBaron rear suspension, replaced them with Poly Bushings that a fellow in Seattle area makes. Same thing, keep the shell on each side and the flanged bushings are pushed into them.

[jdavidsmi]

Thanks for the input, replacing the rubber bushings in the truck with the 2-piece poly bushing, seams the correct course of action for me.

Now to get them of order, together with new parking brake cables.

David

 

[Rembrant]

I replaced them a few months ago on my '84 F150 (2wd), but I did them outside of the truck since I was replacing the radius arms and all other bushings anyway. In any case, I didn't find them that bad to do, but they sure are tight going in new. These were the only ones I've ever done, and I didn't feel removing the sleeve/shell was all that much work...but then again, I've never installed the other style, so I really can't say if its easier or not;).

[Ford F834]

I don't know if you found this video or not but it's pretty good:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=teMmiBdwc7M

[PetesPonies]

Your sleeves looked pretty bad. They were probably best changed. Most don't look that bad .  . at least on cars  :) Trucks may be different depending on how it was used. I used to set the rubber on fire and push them out with a screwdriver. Sometimes the sleeves can be a real pain to get out, so if they are good, just use the old ones.

[Rembrant]

PetesPonies wrote

Your sleeves looked pretty bad. They were probably best changed. Most don't look that bad .  . at least on cars  :) Trucks may be different depending on how it was used. I used to set the rubber on fire and push them out with a screwdriver. Sometimes the sleeves can be a real pain to get out, so if they are good, just use the old ones.

Life in the rust belt, everything looks like that after a while here.

I just drilled them out. I think I used a 1/4" drill bit, and just drilled the rubber between the center and the outer sleeve. Only took a couple minutes, and the center popped right out. I cut a few slots in the sleeve (radially) with a hack saw, and then cut one slot through the center (axially), but only about 90% of the way through, and then peeled them out with a hammer and chisel. The new ones were much harder going in than the old ones were coming out.

[reamer]

I did all of my 4x4 front end with new ones from Ford.
figure the first ones lasted 30+ years, these one will too. and rubber absorbs driving vibes better.
I used a screw type bushing puller.

[Musky1011]

I used a ball joint press to get them out and put new ones in

I did tear the whole front end out and replaced everything the moves or pivots