On my 1995 reg cab 4x4 XL (aka manual everything) F150 with quad front suspension, the stud on the front lower shock bracket broke when I tried to take the nut off to replace the shocks.

What're my options to fix this? Does anyone (other than a junk yard) sell OEM style brackets? Should I consider upgrading to a solid front axle?

Help!

 

i had the same problem when i was replacing my shocks when i bought my new shocks it came with a replacement lower stud id asume most of them do all you have to do is drill out the old one and thread the new one in the new one comes with a nut to bolt it on but i recomend getting it welded

 

Breaking an optional bracket is no reason to do a SAS. Even if you can't find a cheap replacement bracket, you can certainly find the replacement studs that drtrider248x mentioned. They're included in the CarQuest box.

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So the front shock of the quad shocks is the optional part? For some reason I thought the front was the mandatory shock and the rear was the optional. *d'oh*

Hopefully the shocks I bought (almost a year ago, blah) have the stud piece in the box.

Thanks for the help! Knowing the studs are available definitely brightened my day.

 

Hmm.. who sells those studs separately? I've already got the shocks.

 

No one that I know of sells the studs, but many '93-96 trucks were built with the quad shock lower bracket on the axle & no quad shock tower, so you should be able to find them in junkyards. Also try places like RockAuto.com & 1stfordparts.com .

 

I guess these shock studs are in quite the demand. Dorman's "Help" brand sells them Part# 31001. Seems like it's just Grade 5 and not Grade 8 though.

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...rtnumber=31001

 

Ford specifies grade 5 for frame repairs anyway. Remember: those don't have to be strong enough to hold the truck up, or together. All they have to do is pump oil.

 

Thanks for the info. Your picture site rules too!

That's really odd though since the lower bolt on the rear-front shock was grade 10.9 :o!

 

Then it wasn't original. The factory lower shock bolt (F&R) since the early 80s has been a 9.8 w/18mm head & nut, and a half shank. In the late 80s, a point was added to make it easier to stab.

 

Oops, it was a 9.8 with the stabbin' point. I had a 10.9 on my desk when typing that *doh*