- Thread starter
- #1
.... a thread about IFS.
So now that that is cleared up. For the last 48 hours I have been working on my brother in laws 2004 Expedition with him. I know what im doing in most mechanical situations, pretty much competent on everything but rebuilding auto trans. He has a few of his own tools and is okay. We have had frustration after frustration with this IFS suspension rebuild. First he wore the edges bald on a set of BFGs in about 10 months. I couldnt even do that on a ancient un aligned TTB front end. So he did mess up a bit and order parts off of amazon instead of a better source, but it was hard to resist especially when you consider Hawaii store prices and shipping costs. Assembled upper and lower arms, tie rods, sway bar end links. Simple enough right? Thats what his alignment shop wanted before they would touch it. So we get the passenger side together took a while but it was coming along(every new ifs you touch is a learning experience). The sway bar link gave alot of trouble because of its recessed nature also its anti spin while tightening allen head stripped. As we tightened the final nut, the upper ball joint nut. The chromed nylock nut (shorter that the original)cross threaded and started slipping as he got about halfway to torque spec. So AHHHH cheap foreign crap parts bla bla bla was the argument of the hour. So i said screw it run to town I will keep working we will push through and endure. So we replaced that and all the tie rods because they came as a set. But it was cut off the new lower arm and not too much work. We did get new moog parts, much better all is well. So 1 side done. That bring us to today we make it to the hub and find a broken leaking vaccum 4x4 actuator, so I run to the store this time, Im much faster and he had his daughter with him. So we get a part an extra hundred bucks later adding up to an already over budget job. We are moving at a good pace now. Just torqued everything on the drivers side. We have the knuckle jacked up to get the sway bar link finished, I lower the jack and as I do, I see to my HORROR a crack forming on 1 tab of the strut mount of the aluminum lower control arm. HOLY CRAP!!!!!! If had been my car i would have been sledge hammering some stuff, but he took it with more of an attitude of despair. He paid 150 each for these arms. On island after a 6 day wait we can get new ones for 220 each. He no longer trusts the passenger side casting and since you literally have to undo everything to else to pull the lower ball joint out of the knuckle. We are very nearly back at square 1 with the exception of fresh bolts.
So tomorrow I am going to town (40 minute drive) to go to the machine shop to press the old ball joints out and new ones in on the factory arms, bushing are not available on island unless the Ford dealer has some. So we are going with old bushings and still have future work ahead of us if everything goes perfect tomorrow.
My question for you all in this thread is given any knowledge you all may have of new Ford IFS innovations and development since 2004 how much of a potential headache will the new Bronco IFS have for us as the parts wear. Have we learned anything from the ranger or raptors that will indicate a more simple system or "more user freindly" or less specialized tools. Have we seen anything that indicates stronger aluminum components than earlier designs? What do you all think is instore for us. I still dont get why Ford did away with I beams. I loved the cushy ride on my 7 econolines, my 91 ranger handled as close to a sports car as any truck has a right to. And my experience with 3 TTB models has been very similar. But I understand times change and new ideas prevail.
Again lets leave the VS etc off the table here and talk about the good or potentially frustrating this our 1st control arm IFS Bronco has under its crossmembers.
So now that that is cleared up. For the last 48 hours I have been working on my brother in laws 2004 Expedition with him. I know what im doing in most mechanical situations, pretty much competent on everything but rebuilding auto trans. He has a few of his own tools and is okay. We have had frustration after frustration with this IFS suspension rebuild. First he wore the edges bald on a set of BFGs in about 10 months. I couldnt even do that on a ancient un aligned TTB front end. So he did mess up a bit and order parts off of amazon instead of a better source, but it was hard to resist especially when you consider Hawaii store prices and shipping costs. Assembled upper and lower arms, tie rods, sway bar end links. Simple enough right? Thats what his alignment shop wanted before they would touch it. So we get the passenger side together took a while but it was coming along(every new ifs you touch is a learning experience). The sway bar link gave alot of trouble because of its recessed nature also its anti spin while tightening allen head stripped. As we tightened the final nut, the upper ball joint nut. The chromed nylock nut (shorter that the original)cross threaded and started slipping as he got about halfway to torque spec. So AHHHH cheap foreign crap parts bla bla bla was the argument of the hour. So i said screw it run to town I will keep working we will push through and endure. So we replaced that and all the tie rods because they came as a set. But it was cut off the new lower arm and not too much work. We did get new moog parts, much better all is well. So 1 side done. That bring us to today we make it to the hub and find a broken leaking vaccum 4x4 actuator, so I run to the store this time, Im much faster and he had his daughter with him. So we get a part an extra hundred bucks later adding up to an already over budget job. We are moving at a good pace now. Just torqued everything on the drivers side. We have the knuckle jacked up to get the sway bar link finished, I lower the jack and as I do, I see to my HORROR a crack forming on 1 tab of the strut mount of the aluminum lower control arm. HOLY CRAP!!!!!! If had been my car i would have been sledge hammering some stuff, but he took it with more of an attitude of despair. He paid 150 each for these arms. On island after a 6 day wait we can get new ones for 220 each. He no longer trusts the passenger side casting and since you literally have to undo everything to else to pull the lower ball joint out of the knuckle. We are very nearly back at square 1 with the exception of fresh bolts.
So tomorrow I am going to town (40 minute drive) to go to the machine shop to press the old ball joints out and new ones in on the factory arms, bushing are not available on island unless the Ford dealer has some. So we are going with old bushings and still have future work ahead of us if everything goes perfect tomorrow.
My question for you all in this thread is given any knowledge you all may have of new Ford IFS innovations and development since 2004 how much of a potential headache will the new Bronco IFS have for us as the parts wear. Have we learned anything from the ranger or raptors that will indicate a more simple system or "more user freindly" or less specialized tools. Have we seen anything that indicates stronger aluminum components than earlier designs? What do you all think is instore for us. I still dont get why Ford did away with I beams. I loved the cushy ride on my 7 econolines, my 91 ranger handled as close to a sports car as any truck has a right to. And my experience with 3 TTB models has been very similar. But I understand times change and new ideas prevail.
Again lets leave the VS etc off the table here and talk about the good or potentially frustrating this our 1st control arm IFS Bronco has under its crossmembers.
Sponsored