ArdWrknTrk Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 Since the drivers side suspension is almost ready to go back together I needed to clean up all the years of crude on the mount for the bushing side of the control arm or whatever it is called. I didn't do a full paint restore but just removed the crude and put a protective coating on it. I also picked up some rust remover to try. I tried it on a brake shield that I already polished off most of the rust already but for some reason it seemed to expose rust that I didn't know was there. Most chassis and suspension use distorted locking nuts to make sure they can't back off due to vibration. The crappy nylon insert nuts are too easily damaged by heat or hydrocarbons. You don't need to learn to weld in order to replace a cab corner. Panel bonding epoxies work quite well, especially in situations where access is limited or extreme heat would cause you to remove lots of other components unnecessarily. Gary used adhesive to extend the floor clearance of his Dad's Truck for the E4OD. Of course in typical Gary fashion he went full belt and suspenders with a lot dimpling and flush rivets as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 Most chassis and suspension use distorted locking nuts to make sure they can't back off due to vibration. The crappy nylon insert nuts are too easily damaged by heat or hydrocarbons. You don't need to learn to weld in order to replace a cab corner. Panel bonding epoxies work quite well, especially in situations where access is limited or extreme heat would cause you to remove lots of other components unnecessarily. Gary used adhesive to extend the floor clearance of his Dad's Truck for the E4OD. Of course in typical Gary fashion he went full belt and suspenders with a lot dimpling and flush rivets as well. Yes, I'd lock it down and then move to a different location. And yes, those are locknuts. I think they are called "prevailing torque" locknuts. Last, yes I do wear a belt and braces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlisle Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 Yes, I'd lock it down and then move to a different location. And yes, those are locknuts. I think they are called "prevailing torque" locknuts. Last, yes I do wear a belt and braces. Haven't heard that term in a while... Braces Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 Haven't heard that term in a while... Braces We have some Brits on here and I've lived there, so try to remember their terminology from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted April 19, 2022 Author Share Posted April 19, 2022 Most chassis and suspension use distorted locking nuts to make sure they can't back off due to vibration. The crappy nylon insert nuts are too easily damaged by heat or hydrocarbons. You don't need to learn to weld in order to replace a cab corner. Panel bonding epoxies work quite well, especially in situations where access is limited or extreme heat would cause you to remove lots of other components unnecessarily. Gary used adhesive to extend the floor clearance of his Dad's Truck for the E4OD. Of course in typical Gary fashion he went full belt and suspenders with a lot dimpling and flush rivets as well. That makes sense. It does seem to grab well. And it is not exactly in an area you want your nut to come loose. Thanks for the tip on panel bonding epoxy. I will look into that. Gary's project sounds cool. I will look for that post. Most chassis and suspension use distorted locking nuts to make sure they can't back off due to vibration. The crappy nylon insert nuts are too easily damaged by heat or hydrocarbons. You don't need to learn to weld in order to replace a cab corner. Panel bonding epoxies work quite well, especially in situations where access is limited or extreme heat would cause you to remove lots of other components unnecessarily. Gary used adhesive to extend the floor clearance of his Dad's Truck for the E4OD. Of course in typical Gary fashion he went full belt and suspenders with a lot dimpling and flush rivets as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted April 19, 2022 Author Share Posted April 19, 2022 Yes, I'd lock it down and then move to a different location. And yes, those are locknuts. I think they are called "prevailing torque" locknuts. Last, yes I do wear a belt and braces. This project is teaching me all kinds of new things. I never saw a locknut like that before. Yes, I'd lock it down and then move to a different location. And yes, those are locknuts. I think they are called "prevailing torque" locknuts. Last, yes I do wear a belt and braces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 The plan was to finish cleaning the hardware for the suspension and paint or treat most of the parts but my back was hurting too bad from the cab moving and had to put the painting on hold. I thought I had some bad nuts at first for the suspension spring mount but from looking into it I believe the bolts are made like this on purpose. They are oblong and not a perfect circle. Based on the line on each side of the bolt it looks like it was squeezed with some sort of press when it was manufactured. So I will reuse the bolts because I think it is made like that. The new thicker washers arrived from McMaster-Carr. You can see in the picture the large washers I purchased to use was too thin and started to bend in. I even tried to reinforce with another washer on the top and bottom and that didn't work. I couldn't even reach 50 ft lbs of torque before because the washer would just give out. The new thick washer worked good and I was able to torque to 50 ft lbs which is where I will leave it for now because I need to revisit this later. Next step will be to move the fuel tank back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted April 22, 2022 Author Share Posted April 22, 2022 The new thicker washers arrived from McMaster-Carr. You can see in the picture the large washers I purchased to use was too thin and started to bend in. I even tried to reinforce with another washer on the top and bottom and that didn't work. I couldn't even reach 50 ft lbs of torque before because the washer would just give out. The new thick washer worked good and I was able to torque to 50 ft lbs which is where I will leave it for now because I need to revisit this later. Next step will be to move the fuel tank back. The fuel tank is back mounted in again. I noticed that the top of the bushing hardware is not making solid contact with the cab body so I tightened another 5 ft lbs to 55 ft lbs. The bushing hardware was at an angle when I took it out which I straightened. It may need to find its level again to match the cab. I will just keep going back again to step it up to 60 ft pounds after it settles for another day or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted April 22, 2022 Author Share Posted April 22, 2022 The fuel tank is back mounted in again. I noticed that the top of the bushing hardware is not making solid contact with the cab body so I tightened another 5 ft lbs to 55 ft lbs. The bushing hardware was at an angle when I took it out which I straightened. It may need to find its level again to match the cab. I will just keep going back again to step it up to 60 ft pounds after it settles for another day or so. Yesterday I discovered a light behind the bumper on the drivers side. I was going to ask on here but did a search online for what it was for. Turns out that a lot of trucks on the dealers lot did not come with a rear bumper. The license plate mounted to the back under the bed. So the light was the original license plate light. After the truck was purchased it seems many put on an aftermarket bumper or paid the Ford dealer to install one that may of been aftermarket also. I would prefer a regular chrome rear bumper and a hitch under it. What hardware will I need other then the bumper to attach it to the frame? The current bumper I don't like but it seems strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted April 22, 2022 Author Share Posted April 22, 2022 Yesterday I discovered a light behind the bumper on the drivers side. I was going to ask on here but did a search online for what it was for. Turns out that a lot of trucks on the dealers lot did not come with a rear bumper. The license plate mounted to the back under the bed. So the light was the original license plate light. After the truck was purchased it seems many put on an aftermarket bumper or paid the Ford dealer to install one that may of been aftermarket also. I would prefer a regular chrome rear bumper and a hitch under it. What hardware will I need other then the bumper to attach it to the frame? The current bumper I don't like but it seems strong. My next step is to install this bushing and paint the control arm (correct name?). From the research I did they said to put the bushing in the freezer to make it easier to install. I think I want to install it before I paint it so I won't damage the paint pushing it on. I just hope that it won't rust under it and leak rust juice on the paint where the paint won't reach after it is pressed on. My question is about install lubricant. Many say not to use lube because you don't want it to spin. It needs to be a pressed fit. So from what I understand these are my best options that don't leave a residue which could cause it to spin. Let me know your thoughts. Windex Soapy Water Ru-Glyde Tire Mounting and Rubber Lubricant Also do I need to install immediately after pressing on? Does the bushing need weight applied in the correct position to settle correctly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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