bent or busted something underneath

[ford4life69]

http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/ford4life69/Trucks/

there's the link to my photobucket gallery so you can look at them all but nothing looks weird to me. i'll try that spinning the wheel thing you said tmw.

 

[wizzard351]

did ya get it figured out yet?

 

[ford4life69]

i got a sound bite but i can't get my computer to recognize the file type off my stupid SD card and of course my battery died on my phone... bla!

 

[BKW]

i got a sound bite but i can't get my computer to recognize the file type off my stupid SD card and of course my battery died on my phone... bla!

Ask Dennis the Menace (Mil1ion) to post the following illustration.

1973/79 Ford Light Truck Parts Catalog / Illustration Section 30 / Page 4.

This will show you all the parts that attach to the radius rod (the part that took the hit), including the I-Beam (axle), shock absorber, coil spring and other stuff.

When that radius rod bent (and it did), it may have brought the I-Beam (axle) up/down a bit, which will throw off the front end alignment.

 

[Mil1ion]

 

[ford4life69]

ok so what does it take to replace that bent radius rod???

 

[Brian_B]

I wonder if just taking it to a good alignment shop might be the solution?

If they can re-align everything without replacing the bent rod, I mean...would that be possible?

Connie: I have never replaced one, so I am not help.

 

[ford4life69]

well when they found the center link abt to fall out they told me then that aligning this type is pretty much useless especially in the shape it's in right now. all the rubber needs to be replaced he grabbed the tires and jerked on them but not real hard to show me the king pins needed replacing. he said i was looking at around $2000 to get that done and that was BEFORE i did this so there's no telling what it is now. whatever it's rubbing is going to rub through some day or fall apart itself ... i haven't heard the sound in two days as it is.... i don't wanna just ignore it like it went away when i know damn good and well it's only getting worse....

*shaking my head* i guess i'll just have to take it somewhere and see what they'd charge.

 

[Blackwaterforge]

Replace bushings yourself. Carry your I-Beams and spindles to a shop and have the kingpins replaced and the bushings pressed in and reamed. Then you are good to go for a couple hundred thousand miles.

 

[wizzard351]

i wouldnt even mess with the kingpins,just go to the junk yard and find a complete front end from a truck just a lil newer that has ball jionts and swap out I-beams and radius arms when ya change the bushings

 

[Bricks]

Deleted......

 

[ford4life69]

and what is required to change out a front end?

 

[wizzard351]

not much realy unbolt the radius arms and the I beams theres only 4 fasteners to do that plus a bolt at the end of the shocks and a lil clip needs to be unbolted in the coil spring

 

[ford4life69]

guess i better buy some sockets and ratchets and wrenches and jack stands and ... *shaking my head*

looks like it'll be a while.

 

[ford4life69]

ok so I got tired of listening to the noise getting quieter and quieter, cldn't find anything I could see that would do this so I took it back to the place I take everything serious and as far as I can tell he didn't let me down. He said nothing is bent except the frame right up by the bumper that I bent when I plowed into that 79 pontiac a few months ago like an idiot at a stoplight. I NEVER would have thought taking off from a dead stop and moving 10 ft forward wld hit anything hard enough to bend that... WTH?

So the radius arm is NOT bent and neither is anything else to do with this. I've never heard this before but it solved the noise.... The rotors had heat spots in them causing the lunging when I stopped *I thought they were warped and was saving up for that when this whole thing happened and I had to switch projects* and the noise he said. He said he'd turn the rotors if possible which he did and cleaned and packed the wheel bearings that he said are still just fine. He recommended turning the back drums too and for $14 I let him. I haven't driven it much since I got it back last night but I haven't heard the noise again. I guess that means the brakes are touching at all times?? Or maybe since I'm on the brakes to put her in gear *old habit* they were staying in contact? I don't know. I explained everything and he listened and asked questions to clarify what I was saying if I wasn't being clear, didn't just blow me off as a dumb chick *which is why I keep going back to him!* so unless I start hearing it again I'm gonna say I don't know how the hell it was the brakes and it didn't start till after I fell off in that hole but it was the brakes.... *shrug*

ps - i also found out he's supposedly the only shop in town that has all the equipment in house to do king pins. that's prolly one i'll leave alone until i get serious about restoring it unless they get drastically worse. right now i've got both my kids home to drive so i can quit beating silver relentlessly. they both drink gas like i drink jack so other than oil in blue there's really no cost difference. speaking of, who wants a shot?

 

[Mil1ion]

Connie,when working properly, brake pads retract just enough to clear the rotor from constant rub.
The measurement for it is done with a feeler gauge.

 

[ford4life69]

well maybe i just knocked it out of whack or something causing this whole mess...?

 

[lil_dq]

Glad you got it figured out. Hate to hear that you had to go through all of this. I too had brake issues awhile back. Come to find out it was the e-brake pads had exploded in the passenger side. So needless to say, I don't have e-brake anymore.(never used it anyway...automatic)

 

[ford4life69]

i use mine daily in my auto but never in my standard... i came out of the grocery store once to find my 79 rolling off cuz it popped outta park.... been using it ever since. never had that problem in my 85 standard and the brake doesn't work at all anyway. i really hope the old guy that does my inspections on it doesn't go out of business anytime soon.......

 

[Brian_B]

I set my E-brake (or hand brake in the case of the 56) every time I get out of a vehicle. No matter what vehicle or whos. I have seen too many of them go off on their own.

If one of mine stops holding well...I fix it. That is one of the first things I did on the 56 was adjust the hand brake.