Rebuilding Front Suspension

[RustyH]

My son and I tackled a major rebuild of the front suspension of our 98 Expedition 4X4.

We were only able to complete the drivers side and hope to complete the passenger side tomorrow.

We're replacing the upper control arms, bushings and ball joint, lower ball joint inner and out tie rod ends.

Our 98 has nearly 300,000 and has a Trailmaster 4 Inch lift kit.

The biggest reason for it took nearly all day to replace the drivers side parts was because I kept discovering I didn't have the proper tools, including a 36 MM axle socket and a 1 1/8" box wrench to remove a castle nut on the lift kit.

Before starting the job, I watched this video, which helped give me an idea of what I was in for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkXYXgWBzSg

Believe me, watching an 8 minute video will only give you an idea of what you're in for.

This is not a job for the faint of heart or someone not mechanically inclined and it requires a lot of brute strength, so unless you've got the right tools and the experience, I wouldn't attempt this unless you don't mind being without your truck for a couple of days. The good news is so far, the only injury is a smashed thumb, which while sore, shouldn't impede me finishing the job.

The only reason I did it was because cash is short and I didn't want to spend a grand or so replacing everything. As it stands, so far I figure I've dropped around $300 in parts and specialty tools and I still have to pay someone for doing the front end alignment.

More in a couple of days. Wish me luck

 

[KWT2000]

kuddos to you for doing it yourself. what brand of parts did you use???

 

[RustyH]

Sorry, no pics. I just wanted to get the job done today...the You Tube link gives you all the information, but here's what I'll add.

Specialty tools you'll need....

36MM Axle Nut socket. Available for loan at most Checker Auto Parts stores.

Also you'll need the 4X4 ball joint remover/installer tool. You can pick it up for about 40 bucks at Harbor Freight, or rent it at auto parts stores.

Two pickle forks, one for tie rods, one for ball joints. A good 10-15 hand sledge. Those tie rods and ball joints need some heavy hammering before they'll break loose.

A couple of 5" C-clamps, for compressing the brake pistons back into the caliper.

If you don't have a really good compressor and some heavy duty air tools, don't even attempt this one by yourself. I've got the earthquake air gun and it's absolutely a Godsend for this type of job.

Helpful hints:

Don't try to hammer out the lower ball joint as shown in the video...use the ball joint remover. Just smacking down on the top/bottom of the ball joint flattens it out and makes it even harder to press out of the lower control arm.

Use lots of penetrating spray or oil before beginning to remove stuff. Makes it a lot easier. If you don't already have them, get the cam adjusters for the upper control arms. The alignment shop will know what to do with them.

All told, the drivers side took over eight hours, including shopping trips to procure specialty tools and double checking outer tie rod ends. Removing the lower ball joint took about an hour because I tried hammering it out first.

The passenger side, wheels off to wheels on, about two hours. This time, using the ball joint removal tool, my son had to lower ball joint removed in 10 minutes and the new one pressed into place in another five.

If your brakes are borderline, now would be a good time to replace the front pads. The only added step would be removing the caliper from the bracket, then removing the bracket...five minutes at best.

If you don't need to remove the existing brake pads, use the above mentioned C-clamps to press the pistons back a little. This will make mounting the caliper and bracket back onto the rotor a lot easier. While these pieces are off, and before you remove the axle nut, now would be a good time to clean the hub with some wire brush action and some cleaner.



Here's where I got the parts.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0319179034&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I still have the pitman arm to do....that will have to wait until next week. I wasn't able to use the outer tie rod ends, because they were the wrong size, so I pulled the rubber boots off, packed them with grease, repacked my outer tie rod ends and reused them.


Good luck!