Front end rebuild Parts Source?

[bcorradi]

Hi there,

I recently purchased a 97 AWD 5.0 Explorer with 160k and its in dire need of front end work. I plan on replacing the Upper Control Arms, Lower Ball joints, Inner and Outer Tie Rods, and End Links. Does anyone know where a person can purchase all these parts in a kit? I'm probably not going to go with MOOG just because of the huge price difference. I noticed there are a few guys on ebay that sell them in a kit, but most of the guys are in canada. I would prefer to buy the parts in the US for the quicker shipping time.

Also the truck has had a loping idle since I purchased it. It will idle sometimes near 2k while other times it will fall down to 300. Sometimes it will die out when the RPM drops to 300. I tried cleaning the MAF sensor with carb cleaner, but that didn't resolve anything. I read somewhere online to use Tuner Cleaner from radioshack because it doesn't leave any residue when it dries. Does the fluctuating idle point towards the MAF sensor?
Thanks,
Brad

 

[BIGHVM]

Parts

http://www.rockauto.com/

Think thats what you need mate!

 

[ThePhoenix]

Moog lower ball joints are not that much more expensive...check rockauto

 

[awhughes]

As for the Canada parts off of Ebay mentioned above, has anyone installed these and were you satisfied with the fit and quality?

 

[bcorradi]

I'm not sure how they are for quality. According to one of the canadian ebay sellers there are 3 grades and the ones they sell are the middle grade. My buddy emailed them to see if they had front end parts for his 97 F250 and they ended up making a BIN auction for him. However, the parts they sent were wrong, so he ended up buying locally. He he didn't realize they were the wrong parts until it was already in the shop. He ended up getting his money back including return shipping, but it was more of a hassle than anything else.

 

[Blee1099]

The on issue with shipping overseas with rockauto.com is the VAT & duty taxes. I believe the Vat is 17.5% and the import customs is around 3.5% according to what I read.. Not sure if Rockauto implies those fees or not.