2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Since we are rebuilding front ends.....

[FTotts]

Tomorrow is the day. My son and I are going to tackle teh front of his 01. Upper and lower ball joints and all the rod ends. Maybe wheel joints too. Then shocks. I told him if he does a really good job he can do my 04 next weekend. At any rate we already used a Luke's link for the torsion bar(I think it is called). That was a real easy and economical fix for a $200 bar. We are going ot use them everywhere they will fit for the tie rods too. The biggest pain i see is the ball joints. I an not looking forward to removing those wheel bearing packs.



Wish us patience

Fred T

 

[telliott]

if its anything like mine was, the rust will frustrate you. The hardest part of the whole job is getting the rotors and the hub bearings apart from the spindle because it seems like the rust welds it all together. An air hammer helps if you have one. Its not a bad idea to replace the hub bearings while your in there, but they are pricey. If you dont replace them, i would make sure to put plenty of anti-sieze on everything as your going back together. It will make it much easier to get everything apart again next time you have to replace something in there. The ball joints are not to bad once you get to them if you have a press. You should be able to rent a ball joint press from about any auto parts store, if you dont already have one. Good luck!

 

[fest3er]

The engine and power steering can apply far more force to the hub than you ever could hope to.

• Loosen the axle nuts. They are on with 175 lb-ft, so be prepared to exert a lot of force.
• Jack up and remove the tires.
• Find a 4" bolt with the same pitch/size thread, a regular socket to fit, and a large, deep, impact socket that will fit over that socket. (The proper bolts have a 'weird' thread, but for this purpose, a standard thread will be fine if you bottom it in the hole. )
• Loosen the four bolts that hold the hub on the axle housing.
• Remove the upper forward bolt.
• Screw your 4" bolt into the upper forward hole, all the way in.
• Place the sockets on the bolt and gently turn the steering until the impact socket hits the cast boss.
• Fire up the engine.
• Clear the area of hands.
• Turn the wheel to the right (if removing the left hub, turn left if removing the right hub) to solid contact, then a solid tug quickly and very firmly (but not excessively), then release.
• Repeat as necessary.
• You may have to alternate between front and rear holes to walk the hub loose if it is badly rusted.
• Be very careful removing the axles, lest you damage the seals in by the differential.

I guarantee this method will push the hubs off. And it'll be safe for womenfolk and children to watch.

Before reassembling, use a decent wirebrush or equivalent and clean the 'mating area' of all rust (yes, down to bright metal), then apply a good coat of anti-sneeze to both surfaces. They'll about fall off the next time you need to take them apart.

And be sure to tighten the axle nuts back to 175 lb-ft, then tighten further to insert the cotter key.

 

[FTotts]

Welp

Mission accomplised. Upper and lower ball joints all tie rod ends, drag link ends, control arm ends, what ever you want to call them. Bilsteins all the way aroundThe Lukes Links fit everywhere we put them. They are a very economical way to re-rbuild the tie rods and steering control arms. $58 ea plus shipping vs. $190 for one outer tie rod end. If these hold up like they are supposed to I will be installing them on my 04. I do need to rant though. It has been several years since I did a project this size and it seems my tool are lacking a bit. I thought OK I will just go purchase what I need. Well... the local parts stores had nothing that I could use. Auto Zone and Advanced auto, well you know you dont REALLY need a ball joint press... ... ... but we could probablly order one for ya, We ended up at harbor frieght of all places and I will say it right now I would rather take a beating than give my hard earned money to the chinese tool store, but dammit, they were the only ones that had the tools I need when I needed them. Not only that we sprung the ball joint press and had to take it back. ABSOLUTLY NO HASSLE. We are sorry for the inconvience sir, here is a replacement, have a nice day. All that said, I wish that more people worked on things so that the local parts houses wouild see the need and demand for tools and keep them on their shelves. End of Rant.

Fred& Joe