Pre-1997 Models

1995 front suspension rebuild help

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Old 07-29-2015, 01:53 AM
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1995 front suspension rebuild help

im getting ready to rebuild the front suspension on my 95 ford f 150 4x4 twin beam axle. i have all new ball joints, tie rods, shock towers right and left side,new shocks, new radius arm brackets and bushings, pads and rotors, new wheel bearings and races, going to change all the dogbone bearings as well on the axles.

heres my questions
1. im torn on what to do about the springs. i bought a daystar leveling kit but i feel i should just change the springs instead. does the leveling kit fix the sag thats there or is it ment to take the rake out of presumed non sagging springs. does anyone have a good spring suggestion. ive seen some moog springs that seam nice.

2. does anyone have any suggestions or tips to make the rebuild go smooth.

3. i want to repaint all the parts i remove. does anyone have a suggestion for a quality durable paint that can handle jersey weather.

4. is there anyparts i may have missed that i might need or should add to make the suspension and handling better.
 
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:12 PM
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"New" doesn't say much about your parts. New craptasmic garbage from the zone is worse than what you have now. It could have killed me twice, back when I was stupid & broke enough to buy stuff there.

And what are you calling "dogbone bearings"?

1) If your springs are damaged in any way, there's no point fixing everything else - you'll still have spring problems. Unless you have the opportunity to test-drive THOSE EXACT springs for a while, I wouldn't trust them. I'd rather have good original springs (from the JY) whose quality & characteristics I know. They're cheaper, too.
2) Replace as much rubber as possible with Energy BLACK polyurethane, and apply silicone grease to all their wearing surfaces. Use blue or red threadlocker liberally. Use anti-seize lube where appropriate. Eliminate every rattle, squeak, creak, groan, & clunk - if it ain't tight, it ain't right. Read these captions:

. . . . . . . .

3) Most of the heavy steel parts should have rubberized undercoating, which you should rinse frequently & touch-up as soon as required. Nothing lasts forever without maintenance, and more salt means more maintenance.

. .

For other underbody parts, consider primer/sealer (if they're sandblasted clean) or rusty-metal primer, followed by automotive enamel gloss black. I prefer Rustoleum.
4) It can always be "better". Start with what you've got, do it RIGHT, then take it for alignment at a shop with a good, modern optical machine & a tech who knows how to use it. He'll tell you if you missed anything significant.
 
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:25 PM
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As in new I ment moog suspension parts. Im a fan of building things ro last.The springs aren't damaged they have just sagged over the 20 plus years old that they are. I have all new bushings for everywhere in the front. The daystar levelers say it's good for fixing spring sag. I'm wondering if I should just use new springs then add those if I raise the rear a little. What would b good springs keeping in mind i swapped in a 5.8. The dog bone bearings I'm referring to are the bearings that go in the driveshaft with the four caps on em with needle bearings in them.
 
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Old 07-29-2015, 09:32 PM
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Originally Posted by drtyjrzy
The springs aren't damaged they have just sagged...
Sagging (creep) is a type of damage, just like deep rust or fracture.
Originally Posted by drtyjrzy
The daystar levelers say it's good for fixing spring sag.
I'm sure they'd like you to think it'll fix male pattern baldness, but the fact is that the only "fix" is to re-arch & then re-temper the steel.
Originally Posted by drtyjrzy
The dog bone bearings I'm referring to are the bearings that go in the driveshaft with the four caps on em with needle bearings in them.
Those are commonly called "universal joints", or "u-joints". Technically, they're "Hooke's joints" or "Cardan joints".

.

Automotive Terms & Abbreviations
 
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Old 07-30-2015, 08:07 PM
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Replace the warn springs. Moog makes great stuff and you shouldn't have any problems with their springs.

Most of the level spacers are sold for getting rid of rake with non sagging front springs. I wouldn't do new springs and spacers as your rear leafs are probably sagging a bit too, which would then make you nose high.

Por 15 would be a good choice to coat with underneath. It adheres best to already rusty surfaces, but with the correct prep work, it'll adhere to anything.
 


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