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Replacing all front bushings and U/L ball joints

2K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  Bill Reid 
#1 ·
I think it's time to replace the bushings and ball joints in the front end. It's long overdue. SO I recently bought all the Moog parts, and will post pics as I get this service done over the next 2 or 3 weeks.
I know you can just buy the u/l control arms, but me and my wanting to do things the hard way, I decided to only replace the bushings and ball joints, and bear the labor and effort. It's crazy I know and for many a waste of time, but that's the way I want to do it.
 

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#2 ·
Upper ball joint was surprisingly in good shape. I cut off the rubber boot to inspect the grease and it was clean with no sand or debris. I wiped it all off to inspect the ball and there is no play up or down, left or right, however it does move freely and rotates with little effort, esp compared to the new Moog bj, which was stiff and tight as heck.
Tried to use the snap ring pliers I bought from Harbor Freight :duh:, that thing is like junk :mad:, couldn't open it up enough to seat it the groove. I ended up using needle nose pliers while my wife hammered the snap ring in with a flat screwdriver. What a pain. :hissy:
 

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#3 ·
Upper control arm bushings

I pressed these out with a rental press kit from Autozone. Had to use a 27mm socket to press the new bushings in because the kit didn't have a ring cup small enough to fit the outer casing. Moogs are obviously more robust and it made a difference in the ride quality, soaking up bumps and road noise. I wonder how much more it'll isolate the noise when I replace the lower ball joint and the 3 lower bushings. That'll be a project for next month.:crazy:
I decided to paint the control arm, but I only had black matte spray paint and I wanted it to be glossy to repel dirt better so I used this dark blue paint which was just sitting in the cabinet.
 

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#5 · (Edited)
Just got done replacing driver's and passenger's side upper control arm bushings and struts. Ride is improved in that it is less harsh, less noisy over bumps and road imperfections, without sacrificing handling. Anyone want a pair of Bilstein HDs, they have 20k on them.
I need to do both lower control arm bushings and the shock mount and ball joint. That's 8 things to press out and in. Then the tie rods, then off to get an alignment asap. Prob tackle this project next week, after I buy a larger air compressor tank that can keep up with the impact wrench.
 
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