Front end rebuild kits K2500

[Joe Rack]

My next project is to rebuild the front suspension on my 1998 K2500 with 146k miles.
The steering is a little loose, and will be replacing (at least) ball joints, pitman arm and idler arm.
I also want to level out the front end.
While I'm at it, from your experience, what else would you recommend?
What is a good source for these parts? I was thinking Moog.
I'm sort of newbie and would appreciate some advice from the members on this sight. Yoiu have been helpful to me in the past. Thank you!
BTW, the truck is used a local daily driver and pulls my 6000lb boat. I don't plan on off-roading.
Joe

 

[studigggs]

I used Rockauto for my front end parts a couple years ago. Used a mix of Moog and ACDelco parts and have been happy with it. The two tough parts for a homegamer were melting the factory bushings out of the lower control arms and getting the rivets out of the lower ball joints. My Husky air hammer wasn't up for the rivet removal so I had to grind the button, drill through and eventually ended up beating on them with a sledge hammer. It sucked. Good luck.

 

[Aparke4]

I had a shop do my lower control arms: bushings and ball joints. My home tools were not sufficient and they even had to sub them out to a machine shop to press out and install BJ's!

I too use rock auto and have all mevotech parts for TRE's and BJ's... so far so good. Before they had a brand not listed any more called pro forged and I got their idler and pitman arm and replacement sway bar links and they are great. The Idler arm and pitman arm off the steering link and box took some persuasion... a yellow map gas torch helped tremendously... just be careful with the steering box seal above the splines. Other than that, RA also has mevotech bearing which i got and need to install as well as pretty darn good priced on new, not reman cv shafts. I got some of the new ones and they appear to be quality.

Edit- I have moog new upper control arms and used a grinder to grind down the rivets and knock out with a small sledge from the top. Pretty easy to do and now upper ball joints are a super simple bolt in affair.

 

[Schurkey]

The two worst things about rebuilding the front end of my K1500:

1. Could not get torsion bars out of control arms, had to torch the bushings with the arms hanging from the torsion bars. Actually, I pried them downward a bit for clearance with a long pry bar but not much force.

2. Having to fabricate the inner sleeves for the upper control arm bushings. The Polyurethane control arm bushing insert kits come with the inner sleeves for the lower arms, but not for the upper arms--and mine were totally corroded to death.

Number three would be attacking the rivets on the ball joints, but I did that decades ago--1997. Now the joints are bolt-ins.

I haven't needed to replace Pitman or idler arms.

 

[Joe Rack]

Thank you guys for the replies. i Will start at Rock auto.

 

[df2x4]

If you do order from RockAuto, remember we have a 5% discount code for forum members here. I've forgotten a few times and kicked myself later.

https://www.gmt400.com/threads/rockauto-com-discount-code-expires-february-12-2021.51001/

 

[TexasAggie]

I'll be doing the same thing this summer. Ball joints, bushings, all steering. All thinking about replacing torsion bars as well. Anyone know how difficult this is?

 

[jaywestfall]

On other threads here, and I can vouch from personal experience, MOOG is not the bedrock of quality they used to be. With less than 50000 miles on them, I was told some of the MOOG parts I had installed needed to be replaced. Have not got a second opinion , yet.

 

[Schurkey]

Nobody is the "bedrock of quality" since Dirtbag Clinton told American Industry to offshore everything to Communist China in the '90s.

 

[Steven Petersen]

Nobody is the "bedrock of quality" since Dirtbag Clinton told American Industry to offshore everything to Communist China in the '90s.

Yep. Most AC Delco parts now are made in CCP China. I try to find NOS Delco when possible. I used to buy the Moog parts in the 90’s, but even back then I didn’t feel they lasted any better than OEM.