radius arm bushings

[fireftr]

Need to know the degree of difficulty for radius arm bushing replacement on a '92. Don't want to get into something I might need special tools for or something that might take me forever to finish.

 

[Rick]

Try a search on this. It has been discussed a lot.

 

[redthunder]

just replaced them on my '94 a week ago. I ground the heads off the rivets. loosened all the bolts. put a chisel between the radius arm bracket and the frame. this seperated the bracket and the "back" rivet. removed all bolts. then, you can just wiggle the bracket off the "front" rivet. grind down the rest of the rivet that's hanging out the from. now you should be able to knock the rest of the rivet out. you will have to move the fuel filter out of the way. replace the bushings, and replace the rivets with some grade 8 bolts.
Gravy......

 

[Carl D.]

Should take about 3-4 hours and a little sweat getting those rivets out. Other wise very easy.

 

[Opera House]

Anyone done it this way?

It looked like a massive job on my 92 and it had gotten so bad that the mount had sections of metal cracked away. I bought new polyurathane bushings and slit the section toward the engine to the center with a hacksaw. Removed the two pillow blocks that held the anti sway bar. Removed the radius bolts and jacked the front wheel forward about 1 inch with an autobody jack. It doesn't take that much force and it won't go forward enough to come out of the crossmember. Chisel off the old bushing and pry the new one on. A little soaking of the bushings in hot water helps. Takes about an hour each side. 70K later they are still fine and didn't need to align the front end.

 

[410Fortune]

It's alot easier on the TTB trucks to cut the rivets onthe radius arm crossmemeber thenit is to pull the beams forward. Rivets take about 5 minutes each with a 4" grinder and are easy to get too. Besides if you ever plan to lift it they will have to be cut anyways.

Took me about 4 hours total the first time, takes about 2.5-3 hours now.

 

[PYROMANIAC]

I too, replaced my radius arms bushings on my 92 last week. apparently i did alot more work than I needed to. I removed the bolts behind the arm itself and and compressed the spring, removed the shocks and finally the idler arm. I then moved the arm forward. The only problem i had was alingning part of the frame and a hole in the bracket to pass a bolt through. But other than that it was fairly easy, just long.

 

[Opera House]

I should have added......

the firt time I went to change them I was expecting an easier job. Gave up after seeing how much I had to tale apart. Ended up just using the bushing that was supposed to be put on the engine side on the back side. It was clunking so bad that I had to do something that day. I didn't care about alignment or how long it would last. That only lasted about six months till the cross member cut through the bushing. Then I figured out the slit bushing method.

 

[fireftr]

radius bushings

Thanks for all the info. Looks like I can handle this job. I'll bet this is one of those jobs where the labor cost would far exceed the parts cost.

 

[410Fortune]

Letsee parts:

Energy poly bushing kit, $30 max
Grade 8-10 hardware $10
Grinder wheel $1

so about $41 give or take.

Labor, $70/hr times 6 hours (jerks) $420 or so, ridiculous....

I am in the wrong business!!!