Help, 03' 3500 upper ball joints & front end parts...

[Elite1]

My truck has about 180 thousand miles, my front tires started wearing badly on the inside portion, so took it to a front end shop and they told me I need the following parts:

Upper control arms

upper ball joints

rack and pinion



the guy called around a few parts places and had a hard time finding the parts needed, so he called the dealer and as you could imagine the parts pricing was outrageous...



He said if you can find better deals on the parts, he will install... I found a good deal on the upper control arms through rockauto.com , (moog for 123. a piece, about 1/3 what the dealer wanted!)

but I am having a hard time finding the upper ball joints and the rack & pinion... .

my truck is 2 wheel drive and while shopping online, every time I see the upper ball joints, it lists them as for 4x4's, is there a difference in the parts?

Re: the rack & pinion, do they call this item something different in our trucks? I can't even seem to locate it...



Any help is appreciated!

 

[cycletech]

aren't the upper ball joints part of the upper control arm.

 

[JTucholke]

Rack and Pinion? On a solid front axle? Last world I was in our trucks have recirculating ball setups.

 

[Shadrach]

Elite1 I take your truck is a 2WD? If you are going to spend money do it right and get Carli all joints. Dodge Ram Suspension, Dodge Suspension and Ford Super Duty Suspension Systems - Carli Suspension, Inc Shadrach

 

[Elite1]

Elite1 I take your truck is a 2WD? If you are going to spend money do it right and get Carli all joints. Dodge Ram Suspension, Dodge Suspension and Ford Super Duty Suspension Systems - Carli Suspension, Inc Shadrach

Yes, my truck is a 2 wheel drive, as stated in my first post... don't see any 2 wheel drive parts by Carli.

 

[MMeier]

Call them , they are not too far away from you .

 

[FM]

From 03DRM.pdf, section 2-9



"The upper control arm bolts on frame brackets.

The frame brackets have slotted holes which allow

the arms to be adjusted for caster and camber.

The lower control arms bolt to the lower frame

brackets and pivots through bushings.

The control arms have lube for life ball studs. "



and from section 2-26



"(6) If the travel exceeds 0. 5 mm (0. 020 in. ), replace

the upper control arm since the upper ball joint is

integral to the arm (Refer to 2 - SUSPENSION/

FRONT/UPPER CONTROL ARM - REMOVAL). "



FWIW, I've found minor errors in this pdf regarding my 03 4x4 but over all I've found it to be correct.