Refurbishing Sketchy Steering

[Steve's Chevy]

Not sure what y'all are doing but I must have a double unicorn.... I replaced my box with a reman from oriellys about a year ago and have had NO issues with it... and... my truck still has all the original ball joints and tie rod ends... it's a 94 k150p with 180k on the clock....and have no issues or sketchy steering at all...

sent from what use to be a great country...

Your lucky, my boxes were from Oriellys

I just was researching replacing the lower ball joint, and my manual just says to take the whole control arm to a machine shop to press it out and the new one in.
Can I just rent a regular ball joint press and do that?

Yes either way.

 

[sewlow]

I just was researching replacing the lower ball joint, and my manual just says to take the whole control arm to a machine shop to press it out and the new one in.
Can I just rent a regular ball joint press and do that?

If you pull the control arms, might as well replace the bushings while it's apart.
I like the urethane ones I put in my '98. Fairly reasonable $$$, last longer, less deflection.
Just use lots (lots & lots & lots!!!) of the specific lube they're supplied with.

 

[Colorado2500]

If you pull the control arms, might as well replace the bushings while it's apart.
I like the urethane ones I put in my '98. Fairly reasonable $$$, last longer, less deflection.
Just use lots (lots & lots & lots!!!) of the specific lube they're supplied with.

Yeah I'm planning on replacing them now with poly energy suspension ones. I just wanted to see if I could save a trip to the machine shop.

 

[sewlow]

I bought a set of uppers & lower control arms from the wreckers for cheap. Had the bj's & the bushings pressed out, then the arms powder coated & back to to the machine shop so they could press in those bushings. They can be a bear to install without a decent sized press. When it came to installing the arms, all that work shortened the down-time along with the hoist time which I have to pay for. A simple re-&-re that was done in less than a couple of hours.

 

[Steve's Chevy]

When I lifted my truck I bought new uppers and lowers with bushing and b/j's from Rockauto. .. made the swap super easy....

 

[Colorado2500]

I bought a set of uppers & lower control arms from the wreckers for cheap. Had the bj's & the bushings pressed out, then the arms powder coated & back to to the machine shop so they could press in those bushings. They can be a bear to install without a decent sized press. When it came to installing the arms, all that work shortened the down-time along with the hoist time which I have to pay for. A simple re-&-re that was done in less than a couple of hours.

Yeah having a machine shop do all that would be faster, but for me, down-time isn't an issue, cost is however.

When I lifted my truck I bought new uppers and lowers with bushing and b/j's from Rockauto. .. made the swap super easy....

Yeah I was looking at those, but I want to do polyurethane bushings and the cost is a little too much for me.
I have plenty of time to do all this, but not a whole lot of money.

 

[Steve's Chevy]

polyurethane is nice but NOT necessary. ..

 

[95C1500]

When I lifted my truck I bought new uppers and lowers with bushing and b/j's from Rockauto. .. made the swap super easy....

I'm about to order new steering parts and I'm seriously considering doing this. The price difference is insaen though

 

[Colorado2500]

I'm about to order new steering parts and I'm seriously considering doing this. The price difference is insaen though

That's where I'm at too.
I just can't justify the extra cost when I know I have the time to replace all that on my original control arms.

 

[Steve's Chevy]

I'm about to order new steering parts and I'm seriously considering doing this. The price difference is insaen though

I Only did it this way because the gutters on my lowers were trimmed due to it being dropped on 15's.... with that 7.5" kit I had the lift springs were stiff as phuck, I just wanted new arms to be sure....