2nd Generation Shackle Bushings Revisited | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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2nd Generation Shackle Bushings Revisited

Post number 6 has been selected as best answered.

BonesDT

Elite Explorer
Joined
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City, State
Westchester, NY
Year, Model & Trim Level
Red '99 Sport SOHC 4x4
I have read every thread on this, but still no solid answers, so I'll revisit it.

Has anyone actually tried installing "91-94" polyurethane shackle bushings in a 2nd gen?

91-94 Explorer Polyurethane Bushings:
Energy Suspension 4.2124 (full shackle kit)
Daystar KF02019 (full shackle kit)
Daystar KF02022 (frame bushings only)
Prothane 6-1019 (full shackle kit)
Prothane 6-810 (frame bushings only)

All the respective manufacturers' sites list them for a '91-94. 4wheelsupply.com and flexplorers.com/store/exp4x4 list KF02019 for 91-98. www.jackit.com/catalog/chapters/bushings.pdf lists it for 91-01 in one spot, but the KF02022 for 91-94.

LMC Truck lists the same part numbers for their leaf springs, shackles, upper shackle bolts, shackle to spring eye bushings, and shackle to spring eye internal sleeves for the 91-94 and the 95-01. The Warrior 153 shackles fit both 1st and 2nd gen Ex's. All this tells me that there should be absolutely no difference between the 91-94 shackle frame bushings (or spring eye bushings) should be any different.

Are the manufacturers just too scared to advertise 2nd gen Explorer suspension components because of rollover liability?

Now the other problem is, out of the few posts on here about these bushings, there have been at least two guys who said the frame bushings did not fit even on their 1st gens (one said it was too small, the other said too large).

Well, if no one has tried it, I'm convinced and I'm going to. So does anyone have a recommendation as to which company? I just need the frame bushings, so I guess ES is out, but I'll call them to make sure. I know none of them will admit they fit a 2nd gen, but I'm going to make sure their frame kits are the same bushings offered in their respective full shackle kits, and to confirm with them their return policy when they don't fit.

The first pic is on a '93; the second is a poly on a '91; the 3rd is from a '93; and the fourth is the KF02019 kit.
 

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  • KF02019.jpg
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I would love to know if anyone has tried these on a 2002 Ex Sport. I am having a lot of trouble finding the proper bushings to use.
 






fORD SAYS YOU HAVE TO BUY A NEW FRAME LOL Way to go Ford!
Nobody will ever want to replace this bushing, right?

thats some serious foresight!

Cant wait to see what you come up with, on both of our Gen II trucks the stock bushings remained even when we replaced everything else! not much choice.....
 






I had the same problem trying to get bushings it will be good to see if they work.
 






me too. mine squeek like crazy. Don't you have to press them out? then press the new ones back in?
 






Sorry, guys. I know I said I was going to get them, but time and money constraints kicked in.

The stock bushings are pressed in, and I read someone said they were pressed in using a 8 katrillion ton press or something, soooooooo that's why they don't even bother selling stock replacement bushings, because no non-full-blown-auto-manufacturing-facility is going to be able to do that service.

The way bushings are made, they have an outer metal shell, then rubber in the middle, then a skinny metal tube in the center that holds the bolt. The outer metal tube is what's permanently pressed into the frame.

Poly replacement bushings don't come with the outer metal shell, you are expected to reuse the old one, which is a good thing, because you don't have to press it out. So you drill/torch the rubber bushing center out and then replace it with the poly bushing which has a new inner metal tube.

I don't see any reason why these poly bushings would not fit. The two questions are:
1) Are they manufactured properly to begin with to even fit 91-94's as advertised? I would just go ahead and order them, say you have a 91-94 though, and if they don't fit, return them. (Of course do this before you drill/burn out your old bushing!)
2) How are you going to remove the rubber of your old bushings? I was thinking of using a hole saw.
 






I've used the energy suspension kit, replaced the leaf spring bushings, and the frame bushing with it. They worked fine. I used a ball joint press to get the inner pins out, then the bushing. On the frame you just pound the new ones in then. And on the leaf springs you have to press the outer collars out to, the new bushings don't use them, they just sit in the spring eye.

edit: On a side note it took me about a day to do all of this. all of the bushings looked like they had melted in place, and it was a chore to get all of the old bushing out. But it probably won't take you as long as I had to do a lot of experimenting to figure out how to get the darn things out.
 


















So is it safe to say that the bushing where the leaf connects to the bottom of the shackle can be replaced at home in my garage? If I melt out the old ones and use a c clamp to remove the bushing and then hammer in the new bushing should all go well?
 






So is it safe to say that the bushing where the leaf connects to the bottom of the shackle can be replaced at home in my garage? If I melt out the old ones and use a c clamp to remove the bushing and then hammer in the new bushing should all go well?

Yeah it can be done. I don't know that a normal c clamp would be strong enough though, you can get the ball joint press from harbor freight, or rent one from an auto parts store. Make sure you remove the inner pin before you try to burn the bushing out. Your bushing may come out easier than mine, we just did my brothers Dakota leaf springs and the pressed right out, so I would try that first, as it will be a lot cleaner and faster (if it works).

As far as getting the new ones in it's a piece of cake, just put the 2 halves in, then pound the center pin in place.
 






its hard to get the ball joint press in there (between corner panel and frame) but it can be done
C clamp will do nothing for you
a Air chissle, drill, and torch will!

bolt = no bueno, 2 hours with air chissle = finally!
shacklebushingscrewed.jpg


thankgoodnessforairchissle.jpg



newbushpress.jpg





You never know when its gonna happen, on my 96 truck it took me 1.5 hours to install my warrior shackles, on my son in laws 97 truck it took us 6 days to install warrior shackles, leaf spring and frame bushings on the pass side gave us hell

sometimes I love my BII, it has shackle hangers! cut 4 rivets and they come right off! LOL screw this frame over spring stuff!
 






i didnt even bother with my bushings.. the frame bushings looked fine. the first attached image is of my truck i think.. from my shackle install thread.

and congrats on the sport trac 410
 






Beware those lower shackle bolts, I fought them for hours, and then a spring specialty place spent over an hour on them. If you use heat be ready to replace the bushing. You can get them from Ford actually. I was thinking of smoking them out but I wasn't sure I could get a fitting to press them out.

Use LOTS of antisize on that shackle bolt if you want to remove it in the future.

Did you use the air hammer to get the bushing out? Does the ball j press come with a fitting to push out the bushing?
 






I used a torch to remove the stuck bolt, inner pin and rubber bushing
Then we used the air chissle to cut the outer metal sleeve out, in pieces
New bushing from Ford was pressed in place with the ball joint press
My ball joint press had the adapters I needed yes, my press is a harbor freight unit I bought about 4 years ago after renting one about 12 times.. I love it! It needs to be replaced, I have destroyed it, but it still works, just in pieces :)
 






I used a torch to remove the stuck bolt, inner pin and rubber bushing
Then we used the air chissle to cut the outer metal sleeve out, in pieces
New bushing from Ford was pressed in place with the ball joint press
My ball joint press had the adapters I needed yes, my press is a harbor freight unit I bought about 4 years ago after renting one about 12 times.. I love it! It needs to be replaced, I have destroyed it, but it still works, just in pieces :)

Harbor Freight to the Rescue. I don't have air tools though. Thats my next purchase! So you just chiseled out the old one..good to know, thanks.
 












Bushing locations

Does anyone know what bushing goes where? I have purchased the kit from energy suspension( Part Number: 4.2124)but cant seem to find out what bushings to use on what. The instructions dont say where they go also.
 






I'm going to be lifting my truck this week (4dr leaf pack, shackles, skyjacker shocks, and tt) so before I started the lift I figured I would do the bushings aswell... my leaf packs came out of a 99 4door... I got my bushings 4.2124 after I got the bushings out (using a 40000 lb press) I went to put the bushings in... the rear bushings were to small so I eneded up having to use a peice of aluminum tubing as a sleave to fill in the gap... I've had to do stuff like this in the past... it happens when ur using parts not intended for what your doing.... I'm gessing if the springs had been out of a 98 or older I would have been ok.... just wanted to throw in my 2 cents
 



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I used a torch to remove the stuck bolt, inner pin and rubber bushing
Then we used the air chissle to cut the outer metal sleeve out, in pieces

Just thought I would add to this. Once the rubber was out of it, I used a sawzall inside of the outer sleeve. I cut it length wise twice, and it practically fell out on it's own.
 






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