i recently swapped the 5.0 with a 5.7. when putting the motor back in i put the torque arm (runs from the tail shaft to the rear end) back into the bracket. i was just wandering is the arm supposed to bolt into the bracket or just slide in and have some play. also the brackets "padding" looks to be worn. is it important to replace this bracket?

 

it "slips" into the rubber torque arm mount that is mounted to the tranny.

you can get a polyurethane one to replace it with. check energy suspension's website if you're interested.

brian

 

The factory torque arm slides into the rubber mount. This allows the torque arm to slide forward and backward as the diff moves up and down. The amount of movement is very minimal. It's a factory design to reduce road noise transmitted from the diff through the torque arm. You can buy a new factory rubber bushing or an aftermarket poly bushing if yours is worn enough.