Front Suspension Woes

mduralia

Registered User
Well crap. :mad:

Looks like most of the rubber on my front end is deteriorating. A LOT of it can be fixed by using the front end replacement kits from MN12 Performance or Bill. However, what is CRUCIAL is the rubber boots on the Upper and lowe Control arms AND the "vertical links" that have "ball and socket" joints on each end.

Can these be replaced or do I have to buy the ENTIRE linkage? :eek:
 
Good News and bad

There is good news and bad news. The nnd links you refer to can be purchased at most auto parts stores and replaced very easily. Thats the good news.

The other items you are refering to I assume are the upper and lower ball joints. The upper ones can only be purchased with a new upper control arm. They're readily available from O Reilly, Autozone, or your preference of store for about $45.00. The good news with this is that you also get the 2 inner bushing with the new control arm.

The other news is that the lower ball joint can be replaced by itself, but you will have to have a press to uninstall the old one and reinstall the new one to get it done right, especially if they are rusting or the originals. You can also purchase the entire Lower control arm which of course cost more initially, but it also comes with the inner bushings as well and you dont have to have a press to install any ball joints. They run about $60.00 each.

Hope this helps. As a matter of reference I replaced all control arms and bushing about a year ago and man it makes a huge difference.

You can go online to www.oreillyautoparts.com to get the part numbers and price shop.

Smitty
 
HA… Front end work isn’t cheep and don’t cut corners either because you could wear out a set of tires way before their time which of course will cost you much more. My front end started to go last year, since then it’s been about $1300.00 in parts and labor.
 
I went through the same thing a couple of months ago. I got new upper control arms, strut bar links, and lower ball joints from NAPA. Not too expensive, though. Also changed the shocks (Illumina II) and installed reman brake calipers. Good luck, and it makes a big difference in driving and handling. Well worth the DIY labor.
 
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