Front suspension

I have this 2000 Taco, I got recently. I have been doing things to nurse it back to health. Front suspension needs some (actually a lot) TLC. Not sure what is obvious in the pics but...chime in (not so ruff tho). What do I need to replace/rebuild)? Where to get quality parts. Couple times I called the dealer on parts, they are either disco'd or extremely expensive. I don't really want used stuff. No off roading, 4wheeling. This is my daily driver and has almost 300K miles on it. Engine and transmission seems good. I don't mind heavy duty aftermarket parts but I don't have a lift nor do I want it. Chime in. Links for parts/ordering. And how much it would cost me to put it together? Reputable mechanics in my area (if you know any, got work done by any). Northern Cali, bay area. Frame in good condition, Cali truck.

 

Balljoints, control arm bushings, tie rod ends, steering rack bushings, sway bar links.

Your upper BJ boot is torn, so definitely replace those. Lowers should be done too unless you KNOW they were replaced recently.

Get the best you can afford on all these. For the balljoints, given the history of the poor design the lowers have, go with OEM if you can. Camelback Toyota is a great on-line retailer (actual dealer, too) of OEM parts, and a member here (@gunny1005) works there. If that's too steep in price, I've been rolling with 555's (555 is actually an OEM supplier) from lowrangeoffroad for a few years now, and even rolled the cheaper Moogs (from Rockauto.com) for several years before that and my truck didn't explode. Just get the best your budget will allow. Just google "tacoma balljoint failure" and that should convince you.

I like my polyurethane bushings (lower control arms), but whitelines are great OEM style replacements (so I've heard). i have energy suspension LCA bushings and steering rack bushings, and 555 tie rod ends.

 

Thank you.

 

One more thing:

When you are replacing your upper balljoints, go rent yourself a proper BJ tool from your local AutoZone or whatever (it looks like an over-sized C-clamp). It's free, and makes life SOOOO much easier. The last time I installed upper balljoints it was a nightmare because I was trying to use some bastardized method using a 3-arm puller. This most recent time, I was actually installing new upper control arms, so I reinstalled a special plug in place of the upper balljoint. I placed those plugs in my freezer over night, and they went in like soft butter. You should be able to to the same with your upper balljoints. By the time you get around to final assembly, the grease will have thawed, anyway, so frozen grease shouldn't be a concern.

For the lower ball joints and tie rod ends, get yourself a pitman arm puller. It works for pulling the tie rod off the ball joint, and for popping the balljoint off the lower control arm. Just be aware of the bolts that hold the ball joint to the spindle. Some have 2 different length bolts, and some new BJs don't come with bolts. I found new bolts at Ace hardware (grade 10.9, too).

 

@jbrandt hit it on the head.

You'll notice your handling and steering tighten up as you replace all those worn items; I know cause I've been overhauling all the same things in the past 3-4 months.

 

Did it yourself?

 

Damn straight!

My truck drove like new when I replaced all that stuff. Better than new, really... ($1000+ coilovers didn't hurt, lol)

 

Link for the coilovers? I used the monroes on all 4 corners...200 bucks. I run those on both my tacos seems to be going good for now

 

Did the front coil overs, front lower control arm bushings, lower ball joints, rear shocks, and rear leaf springs so far, all by myself.

So far I still need to do upper control arm bushings as well as upper ball joint, but I may do that with new aftermarket upper control arms.

I lucked out in that I didn't have to use any power tools (impact wrench, etc) as I don't have any. Good ol' tools and arm strength.

 

Online? Dealer? Where did you get the parts?

 

I did my coilovers on both tacos, springleafs for one of them (I got them from general springs -not the HDs). I can wrench a little...usually break more then I fix but...that is how this goes.

 

Front and rear shocks are aftermarket Fox shocks, which I purchased new in a group buy here on the forum.

Lower ball joints are OEM/factory, found them online on Ebay, still in factory plastic with tags/part numbers.

Lower ball joint bolts I ordered online through the local Toyota dealership site.

Rear leaf springs, bump stops, u bolts, shackle bushings, and extended rear brake line all ordered online from Wheeler's.

Lower control arm bushings are Whiteline's I ordered online from Amazon.

 

Thanks

 

By the way, before I tackled any of this, I bought a box of different sized cotter pins from autozone.

You always want to replace old cotter pins with new ones if you remove them; I know LBJ's come with pins but I know it came in handy having extras because I think I removed those used on my tie rod ends when I took things apart.

 

Good to know...

 

You doing this all by yourself?

The work itself is pretty easy; if you need help just post a thread with pictures and help will arrive shortly. Better yet, there are a ton of people in CA who are willing to lend a hand.

I'm 2hrs from the Bay Area otherwise I'd offer a hand.

 

I think i will do it myself. You are very kind sir. I appreciate the offer...but do tell me, how much time is this gonna take(I am gonna do the CV axles also)

 

My rear shocks I did in about 5-10 minutes.

My front shocks I did within 45 minutes or so including jacking up the truck and using my bottle jack to push down on the upper control arms.

Lower control arm bushings and lower ball joints I knocked out in a day, and probably spent a good 3-4 hours doing so.

Rear leaf springs I spent maybe 4-6 hours with multiple breaks, as well as going to the store twice; once for a larger deep socket, and again for a large ratchet strap.

I haven't done axles so I can't comment on that.

 

Forgot to add that I kind of cheated with the lower control arm bushings.

Out of fear that I'd have issues either removing the bushings from my lower control arms, or run the risk of having to cut a cam bolt or something, I bought a set of used lower control arms that I prepared with new bushings.

I even went as far as dimpling the washers with a center punch; not sure it did anything but the factory ones are dimpled.

Anyway, I had no issues getting the LCA's off my car so swapping in the prepared LCA's cut down on the time spent performing the install.

I now have a set of LCA's with worn bushings sitting near my shed that I have no use for.

 

front suspension looks like its riding low. shock shaft looks real high. wonder if its assembled correctly