The Ford Barn

hueyhoolihan · 02-09-2026, 06:19 PM

i discovered that i've got a bent rear radius rod. they consist of two 1 1/2" tubes that run from an anchor point on either side of the middle of the torque tube to each rear axle at the brake backing plate. AFAIK it centers the rear axle to the frame and permits vertical and a bit of twisting rear axle movement similar to a torsion bar.

it needs to be fixed as i think it may be the root cause of my vague steering issue. at first it thought it was the steering box, then the king pins, but now that i've found the bent radius rod, i'm suspecting that's the problem.

i've actually had one end of it off when replacing the left rear brake backing plate, which led me to discover that it was bent. just finding out what the darn things are called proved quite time-consuming!

anyway...any information as to how to go about fixing it would be welcome, as usual. thanks.

02-09-2026, 06:19 PM	#1
hueyhoolihan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2024 Location: central coast california Posts: 593	how to fix or replace bend rear radius arm. i discovered that i've got a bent rear radius rod. they consist of two 1 1/2" tubes that run from an anchor point on either side of the middle of the torque tube to each rear axle at the brake backing plate. AFAIK it centers the rear axle to the frame and permits vertical and a bit of twisting rear axle movement similar to a torsion bar. it needs to be fixed as i think it may be the root cause of my vague steering issue. at first it thought it was the steering box, then the king pins, but now that i've found the bent radius rod, i'm suspecting that's the problem. i've actually had one end of it off when replacing the left rear brake backing plate, which led me to discover that it was bent. just finding out what the darn things are called proved quite time-consuming! anyway...any information as to how to go about fixing it would be welcome, as usual. thanks.