Q about cutting off Rivelts on RA Busings

[Chew_12]

So I did my RA Bushing change like a couple of weeks ago and i cut my rivelts off and replaced them and put bolts in. So I went and got it aligned today...
I got a call back asking who did my RA Bushings, then i told him myself, then he told to slap myself. lol Anyway he said that the rivelts should Never be cut off because there is thousands of pounds relying on those beams and the rivelts. He said that it would create a creaking noise that wouldnt go away. So does this sound right? (btw he wasnt selling me anything).

 

[kaised]

I have a 93 X, cut all my rivets about 50K miles ago - never had any issues, no creaking, no broken bolts. As long as you use grade eight hardware, you'll never notice those rivets are gone. I think he's full of it.

 

[Redrig]

from alot of searching here i agree with kaised. alot of people convert to bolts, i even think some said they were better.

 

[Muskrat]

cut mine out too, used grade 8 bolts, and they don't creak, unless they lossen up, which was a bit unerviving on the trail, I need to use some lock tight, and we'll wbe good as new. PS, if you can't cut the rivets, how do you lift these trucks?

 

[Chew_12]

Yea this guy I know, knows explorers because he has worked at a ford dealership and has had 2 x's. But sounds like it is nothing to be worried about.

 

[SteveVB]

Well when Ford had the recall for the bad radius arm bushings in 91 they cut the rivets off of mine and replaced with bolts. 12 years later they were fine.

The factory service manual has the procedure for cutting rivets and replacing them with bolts. It even has the torque values for the bolts.

I wouldnt worry about it. Make sure they are torqued correctly, and check them after they have been used for 500 miles or so, With all due respect I dont think your source knows what hes talking about.

 

[94EBexplorer]

that guy should slap himself, alot of places dont grind the bolts off... insted the use a come along and actually pull your whole front end out of the radius arm drop brackets... which puts alot of stress on some front end stuff.

 

[Joey P]

As long as you replaced the rivets with grade 8 bolts everyting should be fine. I have done two explorers this way and no problems with both. I think you should go back and slap this guy.

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

Tell that guy to shut up and do the allignment.

 

[Maniak]

Ask him what color the sky is in his world, then pick up your X..

Tell him he needs to do some research before he opens his big mouth. If he doesn't know that curring the rivots and replacing them with bolts is a common/safe/allowable practice (even from ford) then he must not know the correct/propper/current procedures for aligning vehicles.

It sounds to me like he knows the "old ways" and doesn't bother to keep current. If thats the case, use someone else.

~Mark

 

[Chew_12]

Very interesting, Thanks for all the ideas. So I go to pick up my truck and I am ready to tell the guy about the rivelts then he wasnt even there. To bad I didnt know better when he tried telling that my RA job sucked.