Shops, Barns, Varmints, and Trucks

OLD Ford pickups

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Topic: OLD Ford pickups

Posted By: DMiller
Subject: OLD Ford pickups
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2022 at 2:46pm

My 99 F250 super duty is killing me this week. Just completed ball joints, on 4WD Front Axle, including inner axle seals to differential, outer half shaft seals to knuckles, and some misc. pieces. Just serviced it last week, changed the muffler for the bad OE unit then went for a state inspect where the ball joints failed.

The shop did NOT measure just stated were too sloppy which by State regs is NOT acceptable, has to show measurement against a Spec dimension by manufacturer limits, but I digress as could use ball joints as needed to fix axle lube leak from right tube.

Requires a Special Seal Driver for the outer drive shaft to knuckle seals. So less the tool cost which I can recover some by selling, I have just at $1000 in parts alone, on a 23 year old, use on the farm wagon. Labor to do the ball joints was quoted at eight Hours. Seals are additional time on 1/2 shafts and inner axle seals requires removal of the Differential Carrier as install from the Inside.

Started on this yesterday at 11am, quit at 3:30 to make dinner, resumed this morning at 7:30 and finished at 10am. WHAT A MESS!!!!

Replies:

Posted By: Codger
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2022 at 3:43pm

Never really liked the design as very fragile on even light impact and the steering geometry liked to snap the pitman shaft off at the steering box. Oversized tires exacerbated the scenario.

Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2022 at 4:01pm

Nothing Fragile under my pickup, Solid Axle Dana 50 not IFS, first of 2000 Body Style but titles as 1999 on Leaf Spring suspension. 340,000miles, 7.3 powerstroke on now third set ball joints.

Posted By: Codger
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2022 at 4:09pm

Yup, those were rugged beasts and worked well except for the grease seals you mention. Think I replaced four steering gears in F-250, and F-350 myself and I remember one being the solid axle type.

Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2022 at 4:16pm

Rebuilt a Dana 50 for a guy with a Dodge early 90s, similar set up, except not sealed bearing wheel ends as these. Small seal half shaft to knuckle more a dust boot, same for shaft to axle tube yet did have a seal inside as these do have to remove ring carrier to change. Most I ever spent on one of those was $150 for ALL the seals including Wheel Bearings. This was right at a grand.

Posted By: Codger
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2022 at 4:25pm

My shop did a lot of body work for the local Ford dealership and had access to their tooling when needed. I also have a frame/alignment rack so did a lot of their front end work and seen a lot of Ford pickup front ends apart. Hard on ball joints and center links especially if not kept greased.

Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2022 at 6:48pm

Later Ford Ball Joints are factory lubed, NO zerk threaded hole, tie rod ends are lube fitting equipped, hang tough as do the spring bushings. Then they went in 03 or 04 back to coil fronts, sad state with radius arms and those bushings.