Need Major Help! Complete Front Axle Replacement D250

[Greenleaf]

It's rotted away guys Anyone work with ball joints/coil springs/control arms etc. ?



I have to replace everything. I'm going attempt to keep the front cross member (which holds the engine) but parts of it have to be cut off and new sections welded in place :--)







How do I relocate the new upper/lower ball joints from my truck's arms to the new replacement arms?????? I Think the lower must be pressed in and the upper joints are threaded in some how



How do I get them huge Mogg coil springs out??????





How in the world do I separate them durn tie-rod ends????? I tried everything along with a pickle fork and I destroy the joint



This is going to become a major pain I'm afraid. Thank goodness for rust free southern truck parts ..... If I can figure out how to install them :{



Scott

 

[Philip]

The upper joints are threaded in. The lowers are pressed in.



Have you tried a large hammer on the tie rod ends. Hit the arm itself oppsite of the tie rod travel path. I very seldome use a pickle fork.



To remove the springs. Put a jack under the lower A arm. Remove the strut rod. Remove the schocks. The take the upper ball joint loose. Then lower the jack and the spring will come out.



You should have called me.

 

[MMiller]

Take a pry bar and find a way to put some tension on the tie rod in the direction it needs to come out. Then take a BFH and smack the arm where the tie rod is stuck. After a few hits the tie rod will come out of the arm... ... . an old Indian trick.....



Michael

 

[Greenleaf]

Philip,



I may have you over some time This looks to be tougher than a school bus.



I'm just now taking apart the doner truck parts. Like I want/have to wrestle around with this stuff. Lemme tell you, a cutting torch removed the tie rod ends. They were new too :{



What is a "Strut rod"?



How do the pressed in joints come out/go in?



How do I "Take the upper ball joint loose"? You mean just remove the nut and it will slide apart, not?

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

Better break out the Red Wrench...



... Oh, your wanting to put this back together :-laf :-laf



Putting a nut back on the threaded part of the tie rod end and hitting that works sometimes, but be verrrry careful, especially if your going to reuse them, but what Philip and Michael said works good too.



Steven

 

[Philip]

The ball joint studs are tapered like the tie rod ends are. Its time to do some more wailing with the BFH. Put a spring compressor on the spring if this is your new front end. Without the weight of a engine and body that spring has a lot of pressure on it. It will come out at high speed without a compressor on it.



The lower ball joint comes out the bottom side of the A arm.



You don't need to worry about the strut rod for now. That is the rod that goes from the lower A arm to the front frame mount. You replacement front suspension doesn't have it on it most likely.

 

[dpuckett]

I have replaced almost every major front suspension component in my D350, similar to your D250.



Springs- Remove/ loosen all miscellaneous stuff in the way- upper control arm, lower control arm, etc, etc. Jack up the center support section to about 18in. The hub should be close to a foot off the ground now. Put a second jack under the outer end of the lower control arm. Loosen the spindle from the lower or upper control arm, whichever is easier to do. Slowly lower the outer jack til the lower CA hits the floor. Spring will fall out, no compressor needed. To reinstall, line it all up, then jack up the outer end of the lower CA til you can reattach the spindle to the appropriate ball joint.



Upper ball joint- Lots of PBlaster and maybe some heat. Impact wrench helps, too. The socket itself is a specialty tool (SnapOn, et al), bout $30.



Lower Ball Joint- BFH- 12# or better. 16# on a short handle (one handed use) worked for me on my blue 91. only had 8# available on my 92



Strut rod is a piece of round steel going from the outboard end of the lower control arm frontward to just behind the bumper.



Of course, put new bushings in all of it while you have it all apart.



Good luck. PM me if you have any questions, though i may not get back to you til the weekend.

Daniel

 

[TWorline]

Scott:



If you are going to replace both ball joints on each side loosen up both ball joints till you have the nut threaded on by the height of the nut only(up to the bottom of the castle nut slots), then hit with your big hammer. This way you can pick which side you can get the most efficient swing and the net outcome will be that the spindle will take up the space on both ball joints. Then proceed as Daniel has said, after you remove the spring you just have to take the nut off of the top ball joint and the spindle will fall off.

 

[tugboatphil]

Thank goodness for rust free southern truck parts

SCOTT!!! You ain't guttin' ol Blue is ya?!? Sniff..... she was a good ol truck... :{ :{

 

[Greenleaf]

SCOTT!!! You ain't guttin' ol Blue is ya?!? Sniff..... she was a good ol truck... :{ :{

LMAO!! :-laf Yeah, right. I have been kicking around the idea of parting out the silver rust bucket... I mean the Silver Bullet and converting it to OEM performance levels and build the Old Blue truck the way I like 'em.



After I rebuild the front support, I still have a hot-rod rust bucket :{

 

[btoscano]

I remember doing this in cold February 2004!!!



I will caution you on the upper control arms. The BJ's are threaded and if you destory the threads you get to find one at the junk yard. I have the special socket PM me if interested.



Bottoms are press fit. I removed the control arms and brought them to my buddy at the alignment shop. He has the tools and skills to do it a lot faster and cleaner than I could.



I replaced every piece of rubber bushing since everything was apart.



When I took it in for alignment they said it was the tightest Dodge they'd ever driven, had I changed the steering box?



Regards,

Brian

 

[Moab4x4]

tie rod trick

Since tie rod ends are tapered, place one BFH on one side of the tie rod end and hit the opposite side with another. The mass of the resting hammer resisting the moving hammer with the tie rod in between kinda squirts the tie rod out enough to let the penetrating oil in. Not quick, but the tie rod ends come out unscathed. Usually... .

Luck!