Farmall130
Newbie
Can anybody recommend a decent front end rebuild kit for my ‘89 K1500? I see kits from $100-600. Don’t need top dollar stuff but sometimes price doesn’t equal quality. Going to completely rebuild and replace axles.
Front end rebuild
- Thread starter Farmall130
- Start date
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"Kits" are too-often low-quality parts with a high profit margin.
When it was me, I put my hands on the various parts to find out what was naughty and what was nice, and then bought only replacements for the naughty stuff.
This means I don't replace stuff I don't need to; which leaves more money for top-quality parts where I do need replacements.
There's no point to "rebuilding" axles (half-shafts, CV shafts). Either they're good, or you might as well buy a new or rebuilt shaft. Years ago, I rebuilt CV shafts, it can be done...but it's getting harder to find replacement boots; and a person runs into worn balls and ball races. There was a time you could get oversize balls, but I think those days are done. At this point, a person buys commercially-rebuilt shafts, or "new" shafts.
Where I normally recommend Polyurethane control arm bushings, be aware that neither Energy Suspension nor Prothane includes the inner sleeves for the upper control arm bushing inserts. They both give you the inner sleeves for the lower bushings, but not the uppers. And my upper bushing sleeves were TOTALLY ruined via rust. I had to cut-down steel tubing to fabricate new sleeves. It was not fun--I don't own a lathe.
I considered--and I've since heard that other folks actually have--bought new rubber bushings, then cut them apart for the new inner sleeves to use with their Poly bushing inserts.
When it was me, I put my hands on the various parts to find out what was naughty and what was nice, and then bought only replacements for the naughty stuff.
This means I don't replace stuff I don't need to; which leaves more money for top-quality parts where I do need replacements.
There's no point to "rebuilding" axles (half-shafts, CV shafts). Either they're good, or you might as well buy a new or rebuilt shaft. Years ago, I rebuilt CV shafts, it can be done...but it's getting harder to find replacement boots; and a person runs into worn balls and ball races. There was a time you could get oversize balls, but I think those days are done. At this point, a person buys commercially-rebuilt shafts, or "new" shafts.
Where I normally recommend Polyurethane control arm bushings, be aware that neither Energy Suspension nor Prothane includes the inner sleeves for the upper control arm bushing inserts. They both give you the inner sleeves for the lower bushings, but not the uppers. And my upper bushing sleeves were TOTALLY ruined via rust. I had to cut-down steel tubing to fabricate new sleeves. It was not fun--I don't own a lathe.
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I considered--and I've since heard that other folks actually have--bought new rubber bushings, then cut them apart for the new inner sleeves to use with their Poly bushing inserts.
The general consensus is that Moog has gone to crap, AC Delco has been crap, but Mevotech is pretty good stuff. I used Prothane for the control arm bushings. I'd direct you to my build page for more info, but my '89 is 2wd.
Yup. From my build thread:
boy&hisdogs
I'm Awesome
Don't do it... I bought a no-name kit from 1A auto and it barely lasted a year before I was back under it again replacing it with moog stuff. Buy name brand, whatever name brand these guys recommend is probably fine but the little bit of money you might save going cheap will cost you lots of time and trouble in the future and might ruin the wear pattern on your tires if you don't address it soon enough like me!
Frank Enstein
Best. Day. EVER!
I did the new rubber upper bushing steal the metal thing on Frank too.
HotWheelsBurban
Gotta have 4 doors..... Rawhide, TOTY 2023!
Yup, bad upper ball joints killed a pair of front tires on my Burb in 6 months, just driving around Houston. Granted, most of our roads are crap, unless they have just been redone....
Gonna hijack the thread for a minute. Everything in my front end is worn out. I was looking at this Mevotech Kit, anyone have any reviews on it? Looks like everything is greaseable(something I didn't see in some other cheap kits). The only thing I can think that this kit doesn't have is lower control arm bushings.
Photo shows two idler arm brackets, but no sway bar bushings. (Does show sway bar end-links, though.)
Probably also need to deal with the rag joint--either replace the rag, or install a shaft with a U-joint depending on the vehicle.
Probably also need to deal with the rag joint--either replace the rag, or install a shaft with a U-joint depending on the vehicle.
I’d buy as many Mevotech TTX parts as possible and get the rest piece by piece. I’d even replace the upper ball joints on upper a-arm with a TTX ball joint. I know, here it comes!
I ended up piecemealing a list together. Ball joints and tie rod ends are TTX, pretty much everything else is Mevotech supreme. All from RockAuto. Only real difference from the kit is that it didn't include upper control arms. So added upper/lower control arm bushings, and sway bar bushings. Came out to be only a few dollars more than the set, and shipping was WAY cheaper for everything I needed.I’d buy as many Mevotech TTX parts as possible and get the rest piece by piece. I’d even replace the upper ball joints on upper a-arm with a TTX ball joint. I know, here it comes!
