Suspension identification help is needed.

[FrankenStude]

Hi All,
Greetings from Brisbane, Australia.

I have a 1947 Studebaker pick up that I brought in from the US about 10 years ago, it has Aerostar front suspension that requires a rebuild. From what I can find out Aerostar's never made it out to Oz so will need to bring in the rebuild kit. My questions are; (1) Was the front suspension the same in all the models from 1986 to 1997? (2) If not how can I identify what model it was from?

I really appreciate any help here.

Cheers
Matt

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Are you replacing the ball joints, bushings, struts, and coil springs?

 

[FrankenStude]

'morning BrooklynBay, (11am down here)

Thanks for the welcome, I would like to replace the wear items - bushes, ball joints etc. The coils are OK and I can get the shocks here. The bushes in the lower control arm seem the worst.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check WWW.RockAuto.Com. They ship worldwide. Moog is a good brand. The upper ball joint is connected to the control arm on the original Motorcraft part. You will have to grind off the rivets, and use bolts & nuts for the Moog parts. What are the names of your local auto parts stores?

 

[BrooklynBay]

These threads might help:

How To: Replace shocks in an Aerostar.

Shock replacement is pretty much a straight forward job unless you have an old vehicle with a lot of rust. Specialty tools are great while installing new parts with no rust. As you will see later on, the most basic tools get the job done while some specialty tools create new issues. We will now...

www.explorerforum.com

How To: Replace stabilizer links on an Aerostar.

The front sway bar (or stabilizer bar) is connected to the cross member with a part called a stabilizer link. The bushings wear down, and eventually crack. Rubber bushings are OEM while aftermarket bushings are made out of a hard urethane material which is more durable. Here are a couple of...

www.explorerforum.com

1995 Aerostar. Upper control arm replacement.

Recently had my passenger side upper control bushing replaced by my local mechanic. The problem is two fold. 1. The long bolts going through the the frame are rusted away. It broke in two when he took it out to service it. One can only assume that the other two bolts are in similar condition...

www.explorerforum.com

 

[FrankenStude]

Check WWW.RockAuto.Com. They ship worldwide. Moog is a good brand. The upper ball joint is connected to the control arm on the original Motorcraft part. You will have to grind off the rivets, and use bolts & nuts for the Moog parts. What are the names of your local auto parts stores?

Our auto parts stores here are: Repco, Supercheap, Auto Barn, these have actual shop fronts but there are heaps of online stores, So I take it from the comments that Aerostar used the same suspension from '87 to '96?

 

[BrooklynBay]

All of my vans look like they use the same suspension parts. Compare part numbers for different years with an online parts vendor to make sure that each one uses the same parts.

 

[Josh P]

Our auto parts stores here are: Repco, Supercheap, Auto Barn, these have actual shop fronts but there are heaps of online stores, So I take it from the comments that Aerostar used the same suspension from '87 to '96?

The suspension stayed the same for all model years, some of the bushings are also used in the 1974-1978 mustang 2.

 

[FrankenStude]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help. I've looked on line and will put together a shopping list. Initially it looks like I'll be replacing the Upper and Lower control arm bushes, Tie rod ends, Stabilizer bar bushes and Link 'washers' . The shocks I can get down here. Thanks once again. I'm getting the rack & pinion steering unit overhauled at the same time.

 

[Josh P]

The Aerostar front suspension is a popular swap into the classic trucks and cars.

 

[BrooklynBay]

These tools or similar tools are recommended:

3/4 in. Ball Joint Separator

Amazing deals on this 3/4In Ball Joint Separator at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Ball Joint Service Kit for 2WD and 4WD Vehicles

Amazing deals on this Balljoint Srvc Kit 2Wd And 4Wd Vehicles at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

12 ton H-Frame Floor Shop Press

Amazing deals on this 12Ton H-Frame Shop Press at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Lisle 41600 Caster / Camber Wrench for Ford

Lisle 41600 Caster / Camber Wrench for Ford - Tool Adjusts Both Caster and Camber Wheel Alignment on Ford Trucks and SUVs. Unique shape and double-ended 21mm socket allow easy access to hard-to-reach caster / camber adjusting bolts. 12 point, 21mm socket fits the following applications...

www.stockwiseauto.com