First front end rebuild - please hold my hand

[usapadyra]

I've decided after driving 50000 miles on a worn front end that it's time to tackle this. There aren't any drivability issues, steering is straight, responsive and tight, but I want to do it for safety's sake, and to put an end to the creaking and squeaking.

I haven't done any suspension work before, but I've watched a bunch of YouTube videos and checked out the guides on here and I think I can handle it. Truck is 2WD.

I'm not expecting the car to carry on for multiple years, so I'm opting for cheap parts. If the car lives another 6 months or a year and I end up having to replace some components again, I'll consider it a win and just be glad it's still running.

Cart is here:

RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

Before I pull the trigger on my RA cart, I have a few questions that I hope someone might be able to help with:

- Any 'can of worms' things to be prepared for? In my experience, there are sometimes things that only come to light once everything is dissasembled and aren't covered in the videos where everything goes ahead without issue.

- Lower ball joints - I'm keeping the lower control arms (original, I believe) since I can't see any danger of those suddenly failing, but I want to be sure the lower ball joints will fit - there are a mixture of 'will not fit OE control arms' / 'fits OE' and some that aren't described either way. If it doesn't say, can I assume that they are sized for the OEM lower control arms?

- Because the lower ball joints do the heavy lifting, I am maybe considering going with Motorcraft for these. Is it worth it? Or will the $12 FVP be perfectly fine for regular road driving for a year?

- The Doorman washer, nut, dust cap kit comes in two sizes (1.98 OD and 2.65 OD), how do I know which one I need for the new rotor hub assembly? I can't find that info on the rotor hub listing.


That's all I can think of for the time being.

Any input much appreciated!

 

[410Fortune]

You should also do inner tie rods not just the outers

you should get a camber correction kit to run with those Mevotec upper control arms

I’m not a fan of the Mevotec tie rod ends you chose they might hold up 6 Months maybe

Consider the dorman heavy duty lower ball joints they were pretty cheap last time I ordered from r/a, they are made by a Canadian company called mas and they are very tough for the $$$

You can usually re use your washer nut and dust cap or just get those parts in town to ensure you get the correct ones

 

[usapadyra]

You should also do inner tie rods not just the outers

you should get a camber correction kit to run with those Mevotec upper control arms

I’m not a fan of the Mevotec tie rod ends you chose they might hold up 6 Months maybe

Consider the dorman heavy duty lower ball joints they were pretty cheap last time I ordered from r/a, they are made by a Canadian company called mas and they are very tough for the $$$

You can usually re use your washer nut and dust cap or just get those parts in town to ensure you get the correct ones

Out of interest what makes the camber adjustment kit necessary? Is it to do with going from the 2 part to 1 part UCA?

Is the Mevotec 'supreme' kit in the daily driver section (blue boots + greasable) any good to your knowledge?

That would come with inner tie rods. I'll take a look for video guides, but is the process for doing inners tricky or fairly straightforward?

Good point re dust cap, once I have the rotor hub assy I can try locally and see what fits.

I'll check out those HD lowers.

 

[410Fortune]

Yes the alignment kit is required due to the one piece uca and it is a good idea on an old truck before an alignment. You are goi g to be in there anyway. When you get to alignment shop the last thing you want to hear “it needs shims thay will be another $300”

The Mevotec parts with blue boots are low quality that is why they are so cheap. They may get you by but for me parts are cheap
Labor is expensive (your time)

Changing the inners is only one more step for you and can be done with a large crescent wrench (2-3”)
The nice thing is you can remove the outer toe rod from the knuckle then unscrew the inner tie rod from the steering rack
Lay it on the ground and now you can use your new inner and outer and create the exact same length, then screw it onto the truck. This keeps your toe alignment

I have only done 2-3 rwd trucks in all my days but I have done countless 4wd setups on these it’s very similar

 

[C420sailor]

@410Fortune what do you recommend for high quality ball joints and arms? @donalds had me about sold on Mevotech, since I saw a severe downturn in Moog part and support quality

Sorry to hijack

 

[Lee's Automotive]

Mevotech TTX is some of the best stuff to use

 

[donalds]

I got the higher-end ones And they're still going strong
Ball joints
I got the entire lower control arm s

To be fair my truck never goes on dirt just blacktop

 

[410Fortune]

Mevotec ttx uppers and Dorman hd lower ball joints are a good combo for a decent price

2000 FORD EXPLORER 4.0L V6 SOHC Ball Joint | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

The Dorman joint is the only one listed as heavy duty and they are $20 each. I am running these in our 03 sport trac v8 and so far so good

 

[usapadyra]

So here is my final list:

RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

Am I correct in thinking that I need two kits for the camber adjustment? One kit does one side, right?

I went for Moog outer tie rods. I have heard about drops in quality, but I didn't want to spend nearly $30 each on the TTXs. I figure these will last fine.

Can anyone confirm that the Doorman lowers will fit the original control arms?

 

[Pete Deering]

So here is my final list:

RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

Am I correct in thinking that I need two kits for the camber adjustment? One kit does one side, right?

I went for Moog outer tie rods. I have heard about drops in quality, but I didn't want to spend nearly $30 each on the TTXs. I figure these will last fine.

Can anyone confirm that the Doorman lowers will fit the original control arms?

Answer
?1 yes, one kit for each side.
?2 I used Moog, no issues
?3. No comment

 

[410Fortune]

Yes two Kits

Moog has gotten way better in recent years

I have the dorman lower ball joints in the stock control arms on my own personal sport trac already, so yes they fit

Good
List!

 

[usapadyra]

Answer
?1 yes, one kit for each side.
?2 I used Moog, no issues
?3. No comment

Cheers. I'll check with doorman customer support or rock auto about the lowers.

 

[usapadyra]

Yes two Kits

Moog has gotten way better in recent years

I have the dorman lower ball joints in the stock control arms on my own personal sport trac already, so yes they fit

Good
List!

Awesome, thanks!

 

[usapadyra]

Finally getting around to this...

I decided to do the rotors / wheel bearings first so I'm not doing so much at once.

Got a few questions re spindle nut + washer and also the condition of the rotors I received from Rock Auto.

Does the direction of the spindle nut and washer matter? Both have a flat side and a chamfered / rounded side.

I'm thinking chamfered side facing outwards? So 'B' side of the spindle nut facing into the vehicle, and flat / sharp edges of the washer facing in as well?


There are a few marks on the rotors I received. There are a few tiny spec-like dents on the surface of one. I figure these won't cause any issues but I'd like to know if they will - I'll request a replacement if so.

On the inside bore there are a couple of nicks where the wheel seal will go - circled in red. Again, they look inconsequential but I don't know how fussy the inner seal will be. Not sure what level of 'precision' these things need - if that makes sense. I'm not thinking a lot since it gets hammered into place, but perhaps if it's not perfectly smooth the grease could leak out over time?

 

[410Fortune]

None of those Knicks will
Matter the seal will hold grease in fine

The brake pad will glide right over those other marks on the surface of the rotor. I do not see a problem

Make sure you clean the oil off the rotor before you put the caliper on

A side out, b side towards the washer

 

[usapadyra]

None of those Knicks will
Matter the seal will hold grease in fine

The brake pad will glide right over those other marks on the surface of the rotor. I do not see a problem

Make sure you clean the oil off the rotor before you put the caliper on

A side out, b side towards the washer

Thanks!

Will do - got some brake clean yesterday.