Going price for balljoint and bushing R&R

[jsfrmsj]

I just got quoted $1,250 to press in new ball joints + bushings on spare lower control arms and to remove and replace the new controls arms with the ones on the truck.

Does that sound about right to you guys? Any luck with the big chain alignment shops for this kind of work?

I tried to press it in myself, but the tool for rent at AutoZone doesn't have a big enough C-Clamp to fit around the massive bushings on the truck.

They are charging $140 an hour FYI.

 

[blacksport]

i do almost all my own work i got this.and it worked good on my 92 1500 lower ball joints.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7CO50...&pd_rd_r=6857ce27-817d-11e8-92dc-abf9c3f3f114
it's the same as the autozone tool i rented b4.
when i did my bushings i torched them out with a cheap torch the i cut the sleeve with a hack saw it came right out i used the ball joint press to press the bushings in.i have a air compressor and a 1/2 in impact.
you could do it like this to press in instead of out

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[jsfrmsj]

That bolt method is pretty genius. I might have to try that this weekend.

 

[whiteboyslo]

Have you considered just replacing the entire LCA? They only run about $100/ea and can save a lot of labor.

That being said, don't go with Moog or buy through Rock Auto. I just did this entire job on mine. UCAs, LCAs, springs, the works. PITA to get it all buttoned up, but it is a DIY. Anywho, when all was said and done, the springs made a ton of noise whenever the suspension articulated. I gave up and had a shop try to figure it out. They ended up putting the stock LCAs and springs back in to get rid of the noise. I'm still fighting Rock Auto for a refund and have had to get PayPal involved at this point. That whole experiment cost me $350 in labor to the shop, and that's with them taking it apart and putting it together a few times to try and find a combo of old and new that would get the best results.

I bought some ACDelco lower ball joints and had the same shop install them. They charged me $150, but said it's normally a $250 job (the owner is a cool old Chevy dude and I think he felt bad for my whole situation). They had it done in a couple hours.

Mike

 

[jsfrmsj]

Thanks for the reply whiteboyslo.

They actually dont make LCA's for 4x4 trucks.

I actually do have a separate pair of LCA's that I want to have the ball joints and bushings installed onto, so that way the swap would be easier. One shop flat out said because its a 4x4 and they have to remove the torsion bars they just aren't going to do it.

The bushings are Moog, but the ball joints are ProForged.

Honestly, I was hoping the install price would be closer to $350, that's doable.

I might just end up only doing the ball joints and selling everything else.

 

[Cokeman95]

Thanks for the reply whiteboyslo.

They actually dont make LCA's for 4x4 trucks.

I actually do have a separate pair of LCA's that I want to have the ball joints and bushings installed onto, so that way the swap would be easier. One shop flat out said because its a 4x4 and they have to remove the torsion bars they just aren't going to do it.

The bushings are Moog, but the ball joints are ProForged.

Honestly, I was hoping the install price would be closer to $350, that's doable.

I might just end up only doing the ball joints and selling everything else.

I just did the lowers on my suburban k1500. I bought lowers from a yard, refurbished them with new ball joints and bushings and bought new bolts as well. A mechanic buddy and I did it in about 5 hours at his work after hours.

He said if I'd brought in the refurbished assemblies and had the shop install them, it would have been 400-700 dollars in labor depending on how it went.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[Z71Hobbs]

Local shop wanted 1200 for both upper and lower. Get some spares and do it yourself...or plan for a long day or weekend...don’t forget to get an alignment.

 

[Mike Duckworth]

I just rebuilt my 1990 1500 Silverado, I did all the install myself with Moog parts, it cost around 650 bucks for all the parts and many days labor. I had to spend 40 bucks to get the toe alignment set after replacing the tie rod ends. The control arm bushings had spot welds on them this was the first time anything on the frontend had been replaced except for the pitman arm. You have to drill the ribbits out of the upper ball joints if they are original. It is quite a bit of work. It sure feels like a new ride now.

 

[Chewy1576]

I'm pricing parts to do a full front end rebuild in my K3500. Looking at Proforged steering parts, Mevotech Terrain Tough ball joints, and Energy Suspension bushings. I did Moog ball joints and Proforged steering parts in my K2500 a few years ago and I was impressed with them. It took a few days, mostly because I had never done it before and had to figure a lot of things out, but saved a ton of money over having a shop doing it. I'll do the same in my driveway with the K3500, it doesn't need to be driven so it can be down for a few days while I swap everything out.