F150s Man

Hello everyone,

I have a 96 F-150 4x4 and am looking to replace the upper ball joint passengers side and the radius arm bushings both sides.

The Ball joint- I know there is alot involved in getting to it but not really sure how much. I also know the actual pressing of the new one is done with the lower ball joint removed when using a press. I guess its just the actual disassembly part of the front end that i need help on. Any help would be appreciated.

The Radius Arm bushings- Can i just remove the nut on the radius arm and push the axle forward to slide them out and install the new ones.

Thanks Guys

swampfishin

I have a 1996 F150 5.8 4by4 and just replaced drivers side radius arm bushing a month ago. I looked into the easiest ways to do it and to make a long story short there is no easy way to do it as a do it yourself at the house mechanic like I am. Option number one is to jack frame up and remove coil spring and shock and torqsion bar and then push axle forward to be able to get radius arm to pull out of the bracket. Option number two(the one I chose) this option is alot easier if someone has replaced factory rivetes with bolts on the radius arm to framebracket but I was not lucky enough for this to have been done on the drivers side but it had been done on the passenger side. If you still have factory rivetes then you have to drill them out and even then they still are stubborn(I tried using bad a@# air hammer and die grinder before I finally just had to break down and drill). Before taking bracket loose make sure to loosen the nut on the radius arm. Once the bracket is down the install is just the opposite except you need some 1/2 inch hardened bolts with washers and lock washers and locktite. I ordered polyurethane bushings made by Energy Suspension from a site,I believe it was Fat Bobs. They were only like 35 dollars but they do not come with plastic spacer but luckily mine was in good shape. I tried getting a new spacer from Advanced but couldnt since it all came in a kit with new set of bushings. The bushing nut was not easily put back on, it was definelty a tight fit with new bushing but I did finally get it after struggling. I think if was going to do it again I would probably just get rubber instead of poly because Im not for sure if rubber would have been as hard to put back on even though they say poly lasts alot longer. Im going to replace my balljoints also and was planning on doing it at the same time but after replacing breaks all the way around and replacing that bushin, I had enough. This will be my first attempt to replace balljoints on a forwheel drive so Im sorry Im no help to you on that.But I hope someone will reply back to you on this because I could use the help myself. Good Luck

DixieDarkhorse

I just removed the splindles from my truck, the ball joints are fairly easy. You can actually beat them out with a hammer and a big punch after you remove the retaining rings, you don't need a press but i'm sure that would be easier.

coreyf2

The best way to remove ball joints is using a press. Yes you can use a hammer, unless you have alot of rust like i did on my truck. With the press, it took 20 minutes at most to put in all four ball joints. I didnt have a press but most garages will have one or you can buy one, i think they run around 150 to 200 depending on how many bushings you get in the kit which can help further down the road. With removing the hubs and rotors, best bet is get a good ford book, and a friend whose done it before. With the radius arm bushings their pretty easy, even the ones with rivets. I just replace both sides the other day on my 96. The easiest way to remove them is detach the bracket instead of the ford way of removing the springs dettaching the radius arm from the axle that is a pain. Heat will be your friend on the bushing nuts if there seized on. A small butane torch will work perfectly. If you have rivets on your brackets you can drill, you can cross cut the rivets with a grinder, I used a acetylene torch, work the best and was the quickest, but also the most dangerous, alot of heat in small areas. Once I cutted out the rivets, i replace the entire bracket being in the north with alot of salt, rotted out the seat on the back of the bracket, yours may not be rotted at all, once you got the bushing kit, put the bushing and washer on closest to the axle first on then place the bracket on the radius arm, put on the rest of the bushings and washers and hand tight the nut on the back, use brute force or jacks negotiate the bracket back into position back bolt first, bottom fronts next then the top. like Swampfishin said use grade 8 bolts with lock washers, i wouldnt use locktite but its your decision.

F150s Man

Cool thanks for the help. Yea I bought a press, just still trying to find time to get to it! But I have the new parts (radius arm bushings, ball joints) and Im ready to give it a shot. Ill let ya know how it goes!

MR.CRAIG

I had to replace both radius arms...in my stone driveway last February. Need less to say it was a ridiculous to do in the driveway but that is where the tow truck left her. Grinding off those rivets sucked and replacing the bushings were pretty easy once you had it apart. You may want to torque up the nut on the end of the radius arm a bit more than suggested in the book, or they might squeak, mine were squeaking like crazy when i put them in and i thought i had screwed something else up ended up being under the truck for an extra hour or so before i realized what it was.

fordtrucknut

the way i was told to do a radius arm is pull the truck (on the side you are doing) to a tree where the bumper is close to it but not touching, un bolt the top shock mountand the top spring holding clip. jack truck up by the frame untill the wheel is off the ground, PLACE ON JACK STAND wrap a come-along to tree and axle, put slight pressure on line, take off radius arm bushing bolt,, take come-along and ratched it until the rear bolt barely comes out, replace bushings, put back together. took me about 30 min a side