Front end overhaul

My Moog upper ball joints wore out within 30k on my 96 K1500 and 02 Savana. I have ProForged uppers on both of them now. We shall see how long they last......

I have heard good things about the MevoTech TX series.

alpinecrick said:

My Moog upper ball joints wore out within 30k on my 96 K1500 and 02 Savana. I have ProForged uppers on both of them now. We shall see how long they last......

I have heard good things about the MevoTech TX series.

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For some reason Moog went away from attached boots on the upper ball joints. AC Delco did too. I don't know why. When I was shopping for uppers, I didn't want to pay for the Moogs since they didn't have the attached boots anymore. I think I've got one Mevotech (lower/mid-line) and one AC Delco (not sure which line, but I suspect Advantage). The lowers are Moog. The boots press on, and the suspension geometry helps keep them on any way.

When I was shopping the Mevotech uppers weren't available in the TTX series yet. Unfortunately, the ones I bought didn't have the boots attached like their stock pictures and I think text indicated, but they're cheap, and relatively easy to change.

big_mike said:

I’m about to get my 97’ Z71 back on the road finally and will be rebuilding the front end first. I’ve got some parts in my Summit cart but wanna make sure I’m not missing something.

Moog inner tie rod end (x2)
Moog outter tie rod end (x2)
Moog tie rod sleeves (x2)
Moog pitman arm
Moog idler arm
Moog replacement upper A-arms(x2)
Moog LCA bushing kit (x2)
Moog lower ball joints (x2)

Also after reading a lot of reviews I’m also gonna give those Gabriel MaxControl shocks a try front/rear as well. I have no reason to believe the hubs need replaced as of right now but will if necessary. I will also be doing breaks and getting a new PS pump without the EVO crap.

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For lower ball joints, which ones did you go with? I've got a 97 Z71 as well, and I know they differentiate between forged and welded lower control arms, and I'm assuming we've got welded arms. I'm trying to do a complete rebuild too, but unfortunately I'm outta town trying to get these parts ordered. Thanks!

big_mike said:

I’m about to get my 97’ Z71 back on the road finally and will be rebuilding the front end first.

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Here's my front-end rebuild story:

Popped a lower ball joint on my '88 K1500. I discovered that my steering knuckle is severely damaged as well. This brought me to the point where I might as well stuff in fresh control arm bushings as the originals have 310,000 miles on them and look terrible. They've squeeked for years.

Far as I know, the Poly bushing inserts that I used work on "most" K1500 , K2500, and K3500 trucks 88-97--but verify for YOUR APPLICATION. I used Energy Suspension bushings purchased from Summit.

Photo stolen from Summit site: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ens-3-3134g


Biggest problem with installing Polyurethane control arm bushings is that I can't find a supplier that includes the steel sleeves for the upper control arm inserts. They include the sleeves for the lower control arms, but not the upper. Mine were terribly corroded (as were the lower bushing sleeves.)

Lower control arm first. I had to do this more-or-less in situ, as I couldn't get the torsion bar to come out of the control arm. The torsion bar is stressed downward, but not enough to put a permanent bend in it. It is spring steel, after all.

Photo 1 and 2. Broken ball joint stud. The ball joint is NOT worn-out, and the stud broke at pretty-much the strongest point. Usualy they break at the castle-nut threads where the diameter is much smaller. All the ball joints have been replaced previously, so no rivets to cut--just hit the four nuts 'n' bolts with Mister Impact Wrench.




Photo 3 and 4. Steering knuckle damage. I don't know what gouged the knuckle. The stud still fits TIGHT in the knuckle.


Knuckle with stud stuffed into the hole.


Photo 5. Upper arm removed, lower arm disconnected from frame. Red-handled pry bar loading the lower arm downward so the control arm bushings can be heated and removed from the steel shell.


Photo 6. Propane torch heating the shell. Propane flame was easily visible in "real life" but doesn't show up well in the picture. Heat as much of the shell as you have access to. Rubber melts just enough to slide out of the shell. I was lucky, getting just enough heat to move the bushing, but not enough to light the rubber smoke and shoot sparks and flames out the side of the bushing. Yes, this stinks. Yes, you should have a fire extinguisher or garden hose near-by.


Photo 7. Rubber bushing, melty-gooey on the outside. Delicious. The rubber always swells larger in diameter, but shorter in length once they're released from the steel shell. the steel sleeve in the middle pokes out of each end of the rubber. (it doesn't when the rubber is still in the shell.)


Photo 8. Lower control arm with melty-gooey rubber residue that has to be COMPLETELY cleaned-up before inserting the Polyurethane bushing insert. I used aerosol brake cleaner and a rag. Sometimes I need emery cloth and Scotchbrite pads, but not this time.


Photo 9. Same process for the longer rear bushing. I had to "encourage" it to come out with a punch and hammer as most of the shell is blocked by the control arm, so it's hard to heat evenly around the shell.


As said, the lower bushings come with new steel sleeves, so it's just a matter of greasing the steel shell, the bushing OD and ID, and the new sleeve, and pushing it all in by hand--no press needed.

Lower control arm bolts torque at 98 ft/lbs, and if you install RUBBER bushings, you MUST torque the bolts with the control arm at normal ride height. Since I'm installing Polyurethane bushings, it DOES NOT MATTER what position the arm is in when the fasteners are tightened. That, and the fact that you don't need a press or special tooling, are reasons I always install Poly bushings if I can source them to fit the vehicle.

Four lower ball joint bolts/nuts torque at 50 ft/lbs according to Moog instructions. My service manual is an early edition, says "15 ft/lbs" which is crazy. I have a service manual supplement that corrects some of the errors in the early manual, and that says "45 ft/lbs" but they show an incorrect illustration of how the joint bolts in--so I went with the Moog specs. Good thing I looked, I"d have expected ~65 ft/lbs based on the bolt size and grade.

Upper arm.

I had to fabricate new upper sleeves from steel tube ground-down to the proper ID and OD. I got it done, and within a few thousandths of an inch tolerance, but I didn't enjoy it much because I don't have a lathe. My fabrication was done using crude (but effective) tools, and lots of harsh language.

Photo 10. Upper arm removed from vehicle. Steel end-caps popped out using long, tapered punch and bigass hammer. Put the punch in from the outside, knock the inside end-cap off. Put the punch in from the inside, knock out the outside cap. You're tapping on the small-diameter, raised part that presses into the steel sleeve.


Photo 11. Corroded end-caps (which did not clean-up as nicely as I'd hoped) and the rotted bushing.


Photo 12. Propane torch warmed-up the steel shells, bushings slide out. Shells cleaned-up just like the lower control arm.


Photo 13, 14, 15, and 16. Rotted bushing, corroded steel sleeves. One sleeve in "as removed" condition, the other has been tortured on the wire wheel to remove rust. Compare to replacement bushing and sleeves.








Bushing installation is almost as easy as the lowers--grease EVERYTHING with the supplied lube, push it all together. The end-caps have to be held in position as the arm is fitted into the frame brackets. Cram the bolts in from the inside, with the nuts on the outside of the arm. Upper arm bolt torque is 88 ft/lbs. Again, with Polyurethane bushings, the fasteners can be torqued with the arm in any position. Rubber bushings require the arm to be at normal ride height when torquing.

I'm typing all this crap now, because I'm still waiting on a replacement steering knuckle. I have new front shock absorbers, replacement axle shafts (torn boots both sides, otherwise OK) and Russell steel-braid-over-PTFE brake hoses. I'll have to clean the rust off the brake rotor which got left outside during the rain. Tie rod ends, Idler arm, Pitman arm are all OK. My aluminum wheel got mildly chewed-up when the control arm dropped onto it, so I'll have to smooth that out, too. And, of course, I'll have to change the bushings on the other side--but I'm not expecting to need ball joints (I bought both lowers just in case.)

This truck didn't come with a front sway bar, but I got one from the Treasure Yard. I bought Poly sway bar bushings and end-links. More photos coming, but not for several days.

Dont forget to check the condition of the steering shaft rag joint.

Slow progress. Got a replacement steering knuckle at my favorite Treasure Yard...attached to the entire front suspension.

A moment of silence, please, for the torsion bars that gave their lives to make the rest of the suspension a drop-out assembly. The torsion bars were the only usable parts I destroyed, the cut left brake hose was already ruined due to the cracked rubber jacket. All the ball joints have been replaced already, they bolt-in. There's no slop in any of them, I wouldn't be afraid to re-use 'em even if they aren't virgin-new. This truck had usable eccentrics on the upper control arm bushings, for front-end alignment. My truck has them welded into the frame. Not sure if I want to cut them out at this point to use the adjustables.


An unforeseen bonus in scavenging parts from a slightly-newer (1994) Extended Cab is that the brake rotors are thicker/wider than the ones on my 1988 Regular Cab. The photo makes it look like they're larger diameter, too, but that's not the case--just poorly-posed rotors. I imagine the calipers are wider to match the rotors, and perhaps the steering knuckles are different, too. I haven't had time to compare casting numbers. At any rate, my K1500 will get upgraded front brakes to match the K2500 14-bolt rear axle and duo-servo brakes installed years ago. Shucks. Darn. At worst, the calipers will be used for "cores" If I have to buy rebuilts. I'm actually hoping to re-use these calipers but I will have to verify that they're OK. My plan is to clean, inspect, and lube all the caliper mountings and bolts, flush the brake fluid, drive the truck for a couple days to scrub the rust off the rotors, and then when the rotors are polished by the old and worn-out brake pads, I'll just install new pads. An alternative is to get the rotors beadblasted and cut on a brake lathe, which is do-able but a pain in the ass.


IF (big IF) the friggin' torsion bars would actually pop out of the control arms instead of being seized in place, I'd drop the left-side suspension out of my truck and install the complete left side suspension you see above--arms, axle, knuckle/rotor/calipers and all. The only things I'd change are the control arm bushings, brake pads, shocks, and brake hose. But since the torsion bars ARE seized in the control arms, I'll have to re-bush the existing lower arm, separate the lower ball joint, and hope that the ball joint studs are the same size and taper between the smaller-brake steering knuckle and the larger-brake steering knuckle.

The right side control arms have already been rebuilt, so only the newer knuckle, rotor, caliper, and CV shaft will be installed--again, IF the ball joint stud is the same size and taper to fit the replacement steering knuckle.

I got all this stuff, plus a cruise module, door handle and latch assembly, side-window assembly, all the parts for the tire-change jack assembly that were missing on my truck, a steering column and lower shaft assembly with, I think, a useble rag joint, and some miscellaneous crap for a hundred bucks. The Treasure Yard owner burned his own Oxy-Acetylene to cut the torsion bars. I love that guy...

BACK to the Treasure Yard for booster, master cylinder, and some other odds 'n' ends for this and other vehicles.

Turns out the wider rotors come with bigger pistons in the calipers--originals are 2.5" pistons, the replacement calipers that fit the wider rotors are 2 15/16" pistons. I figured at worst, the calipers can be "cores" if I buy rebuilts. I pulled them apart, they look fine inside other than some required clean-up.

Everyday, ordinary crusty used caliper with near-totaled brake pads


Blow the piston out with compressed air. Rags cushion flying piston.


Inside is visually horrible.


Rubber square-cut caliper seal had rust/crust that peeled off with a fingernail. No cracks, not hardened or brittle...I lubed it with brake fluid and put it right back into the cleaned-up seal groove in the caliper bore. THIS is the seal that does all the magic--keeps the fluid in, stretches to allow the piston to clamp the rotor, then pulls the piston back when you let off the brakes. When the piston travels farther out than the seal can stretch, the piston slides on the seal and "self adjusts" the pad-to-rotor clearance.


The caliper guts cleaned up just fine. The side of the piston below the groove that the dust seal rides in is crucial--the chrome can't be flaking, no rust, etc. It has to be PRISTINE. Above the groove doesn't matter much--it's exposed to road splash so it's going to look ugly. Piston lubed with brake fluid, and compressed air used to "inflate" the dust seal over the piston bottom in the same way that compressed air blew the piston out to begin with--through the brake hose hole. You need "enough" air to inflate the seal, but not "too much" so that the piston can't be pushed up to the metal of the caliper. Then let the compressed air go, and settle the piston up against the rubber square-cut seal. All that's left is to cram a hammer-handle into the piston to shove it down the bore. Easy.


Very light coat of grease on sliders, (and on the rubber parts in the caliper ears) anti-seize on the caliper bolt threads


Bleeder screw anti-seized, and positively cleaned out with drill bit in pin vice. The rubber cap had sealed-out almost all the usual dust and rust.


Finished caliper ready to install. Fresh pads to come later--after the rotors have been scrubbed clean of rust by the old pads. The "E" clip helps hold the brake hose to the frame bracket. Hoses are Russell 672370, kit of three hoses (2 front, 1 rear)


Bigger pistons need more brake fluid to move them. Therefore, instead of the 1" bore master cylinder and tiny booster my truck came with, I got the 1 1/8" bore master cylinder and the big, 10.5" booster from the parts truck. Far as I can tell, the big-piston replacement calipers are the low-drag design requiring a step-bore "Quick Take-Up" master cylinder. At least the master on the parts truck seems to be a step-bore "QTU" unit. I expected the Treasure Yard master cylinder would be turned in as "core" on a rebuilt. I pulled it apart, cleaned it up, and I'll try it as-is. The seals, pistons, and the aluminum bore seemed to be re-usable. I'm hoping to use the booster as-is, but time will tell. The larger master and booster are not installed yet.

Note the step in the casting towards the booster end. The primary and secondary piston seals fit a 1 1/8 bore, but the bigass seal at the end is 40mm, close to 1 1/2 inches. The master on my truck now is a similar step-bore, but 1" piston seals and a slightly-smaller (36mm, I think) rear seal, in a similar stepped casting.


Once the front end was put back together, I made one last mental go-around of all the fasteners, cotter pins, and torques. I'd forgotten to torque the CV shaft nut. Done now! And all the grease fittings were pumped full except the left side upper and lower ball joints, and outer tie rod end--which will get lubed after I've replaced the steering knuckle, rotor, and caliper on that side. Shock is KYB KG5480


And now fully assembled, except for one problem I was kind of expecting


Aftermarket steel-braid-over-PTFE (Teflon) liner brake hoses NEVER seem to fit properly. The OEM hoses have a metal section that routes them away from all the other suspension components. The steel-braid hoses get some heavy heat-shrink tubing to protect them, and it's just not good enough.


To prevent damaging the steel-braid hose, I wrapped rubber heater hose around the upper control arm. I'm not thrilled with this, but I don't have a better idea.

I couldn't stand it. I had to take the truck out for a drive before I repeat all this crap on the left side.

The advantage I have at this point is that I've obtained and cleaned-up both sets of knuckles, rotors and calipers, and I know what to do to make another pair of upper control arm bushing sleeves--and the machine is still set-up to do it. I should be able to knock-out the left side in a day, maybe two. Then some more time to install the booster and master cylinder, and figure out how to connect it to the existing ABS.

Oh, yeah..I also grabbed the rubber bump-stops from the donor-parts truck, mine doesn't have any and hasn't for as long as I've owned it. If it ever had bump-stops, I'd be surprised.

My truck also didn't have a front sway bar, and I have what I need to install the one I got from the Treasure Yard.

Schurkey the 1500 knuckles are the same on all of the trucks that fall into your years. I did the Front brake upgrade on my '90 1500 from JB3 to JB5. You will have to change the front hubs, rotors and calipers IF you start with JB3 brakes