axl pivot bushing?

[soulcrushing71]

I have a lot of slack in my steering. I plan on replacing drag link and related parts, could the axl pivot bushing also be playing a role in my slack? And if so I could really use a list of other parts I should replace to make my front end nice and tidy.

[basketcase0302]

When you say "axle pivot bushings" is the truck 2WD or 4WD?
King pin bushings on our 2WD's are a known source of vibration in our front ends.

[fordman]

http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... =5&t=51980

[soulcrushing71]

It is a 2 wheel drive. correct me if I am wrong but the axel pivot bushing is where the i beams meet the frame?

[soulcrushing71]

Also is there a special tool for extracting king bolts? My old man told me that you need an old king bolt to remove the existing ones.

[fordman]

tools needed will probably be a big hammer and a torch to heat it all up with. they are usually hard to get out.

[fomocodave]

to remove kingpins you need to heat them cherry red with an oxy acetylene torch, then use an air hammer to drive them out. rust can be really freakin strong. then you need to ream, or in my case, sand and grind the insides of the spindles, and ibeams.
i would never ever do it again, nor would i pay someone to do it. i would just buy new parts.
any component of the steering and suspension you fix will make an improvement and eliminate play/bump steering. but you need to jack up the truck by the frame, and with the wheels off the ground, grab hold of all those parts, and try to shake them, if they move or wiggle, theres your play

[67nukeford]

Ooops, wrong thread!

[BobbyFord]

I have a lot of slack in my steering. I plan on replacing drag link and related parts, could the axl pivot bushing also be playing a role in my slack? And if so I could really use a list of other parts I should replace to make my front end nice and tidy.

Check your rag joint (steering coupler).

[Alvin in AZ]

Dear Dave and Crush :)

The king pins came out easy as anything on my '75 F150, but it's an Arizona truck.
Where you guys at? ...it'd be a clue on the condition of your vehicles, see?
<----Fill out your stuff.

Alvin in AZ

[Alvin in AZ]

I have a lot of slack in my steering. I plan on replacing drag link and related parts,
could the axl pivot bushing also be playing a role in my slack? And if so I could really
use a list of other parts I should replace to make my front end nice and tidy.

The single worst part of my '75 F150's steering was the Ford Integral Power Steering gear!
Ford didn't bother to put bearings in it. :/

Before tearing it apart get a helper to rock the steering wheel for you while you feel each
joint for lost motion especially the sector shaft. The trick to good steering is to renew all
the joints that make up the system and not have too much toe-in too. Also tho, is your
truck tracking straight? Measure the crap;) out of it to figure out if the rear axle is even
square with the frame first.

http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/toe-in1.jpg
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/toe-in2.jpg

What I like best about that setup is you can experiment with different amounts of toe. :)
I like zero best, YMMV.

Alvin in AZ