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going for the gusto...

Explorer4u2c... what did your alignment cost?

Ford said that lowering puts added stress on the ball joints. is that true?
 



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I got my allignment at ford for 80 dollars. it still is a little bit / \ but not near as much. I didn't talk to the mechanic myself, but my dad did, and supposedly the mechanic said that shims had already been installed at the factory height... I was confused on why it needed shims at factory height, but i just shrugged it off..
 






My dad's a mechanic, so I got it done cheap. like cheap. I know they said they had to put a camber kit on each side and it's adjusted totally out. They still sit /---\, but not too bad to ruin the tires fast. They said there is nothing left they can do to try to fix it more, because it did go down 4 inches. But I dont know if that's true they cant do anything. I wonder.... anyone else know??
 






Ball Joints: Yes, a drop will put added stress on them, but not enough to cause them to go out that quickly. Sounds to me that you already had some weak joints for them to go out like that. (if that is the real problem)

Camber: When any vehicle is dropped past a certian point it looses the ability to have the camber easily corrected. This means that shims or a kit can only do so much. There are people that fabricate extended upper control arms, but I have never really thought this was a feasiable idea for anyone that is only doing this as a hobby, or for fun. (expensive, potential problems, actually fabbing them...that sort of thing)

Alignments: If you are unsure who to go to that is trustworthy, I suggest stopping by a local body shop (preferably a big one, that has a good reputation). Most shops will contract out their alignments (always needed when there is frame damage) and will have faith in who ever it is that does them as everything has to be as near perfect as possible. Go in and ask, they will not hide it from you...hell, they usualy get discounts on their work when they send referals.

(is there no spell check on this thing? I suck and I know it, now I need help lol...sorry if anything is horibly misspelled, no time to check it all)
 






Godfather 1138..... still waiting on those pics....
 






What is your email addy? Or, just jump on AIM...I got your SN from your profile, but no email addy.
 






Hey Godfather,
Johnny V. here...

I agree w/you, thats what I was getting at when I was asking him about the mileage on the truck!

And BTW where is the new pix w/the new wheels...???

If you have m' E-mail me jvander@prodigy.net

Late,
Johnny V.:bounce:
 






I'm going to wash it in a few min, and plan to take the pics then. Things are crazy as usual around here, but I'm slowly getting some stuff done.
 












Well I contacted an alighment specialty shop (not the shop that did my alignment) and he said he thinks they were already worn before I lowered it. Bad part is, there is really no way to know if the alignment was done correctly since they are worn, so even if it wasn't I have no proof. :frustrate Also, he said that he uses MOOG ball joints which is a good thing, but he said that the ABS sensors might need to be replaced. I guess sometimes they can be a pain to get out and break. If that is the case that will add $160 to the job. :hammer: This sucks. He also said that completly removing the Torsion bolts is not good at all. He said that there should be some bolt in there. I remember reading repeatedly on here that it wasnt a problem. I'm going to put them back in and give them a few cranks but the only problem with that is that they will be sticking out far and I know they will hit something and cause more damage. Is there any way of getting shorter bolts? Did you guys do anything about them sticking out so far?
 






they are ok to stick out. i kept mine in so there is a little travel in my suspension. unless you go play in dirt and rocks liek the boyz on this site with 4x4's nothing in the rode will hit them. Unless your speed bumps are 2 ft high...

That sucks about all that $$$. I'm going tomorrow to ask them about my ball joints.. better safe than sorry.
 






Definately let me know what they say. How many miles do you have?
 






90k
 






Ok, just got back from washing the X. I plan to take some pics this afternoon, and will try to have them up then. I am also going to be emailing the tech pics out that are no longer showing. This will be much easier on me if I can send them out as a mass email, so if you are interested in seeing the pics, or know someone who is now is the time to speak up. Post your email here, or PM it to me.

Thanks guys,
Greg "Tha Godfather"
 






*sitting on the side of the road, with X in background. my sign reads*

"Have pics, need host"

That's right, I have new pics, but my host site pooped on itself...or something like that. Can somebody help, or suggest a new host for me?
 






I think you can use yahoo photo directories...
 












These should work for a while, but PLEASE DON'T LINK TO THESE PICS. Aparently Yahoo will not allow multiple instances/links. If you want to show them to someone just link the whole page.

516c.jpg


516a.jpg


516b.jpg


516f.jpg


516e.jpg


So...what do you think?

I haven't dropped it much more yet, but probably will. I may wait untill I do the adjustable suspension as things are pretty good as they are.

I will use Yahoo to host the tech pics now (if this works), but it will have to wait till after work.
 






18's ???? VERY CLEAN ! ! ! !
 



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That looks really nice godfather. :thumbsup:


Tell me what you guys think.
I got a quote for my ball joints. Includes upper and lower MOOG replacement joints, camber kit, and alignment. $1,100. Add $160 if the ABS sensors dont come out. Thats at a local alignment shop. I have heard good things about them and he knew what he was talking about. I also heard that MOOG joints are really good. I havent called ford to get a quote but I dont really know if I want to take it to them. The only thing I'm worried about is that I will get all this work done and then 2 months later...
 






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