3Pooches version 3.5

Why wait?

 

i got to pay off the LX before my wife will let me buy another ride!! lol

 

its my unicorn for sure my dream

 

That’s a really good deal. You will not see one with those miles again. At least not for under 50k

 

best part its near me and cali truck.

 

Thats what it said on the label

 

So am I missing something, or are the OEM LCA ball joints not serviceable and/or replaceable? I noticed grease leaking from the boot on my driver's side and need to investigate further if the joints busted or just a leaky boot...also while y'all talk about budgets, of course now I'm jumping to aftermarket LCA options

 

They press in. Have fun.

 

Unless you are going LT I think aftermarket LCAs are a waste of money, personally

 

Like Dave said, The ball joints are replaceable. A ball joint press, torch to warm the collar, 1/2” impact, and a freezer are tools suggested. You can replace them without removing your lower control arm which will save you an alignment, but since you get weekly alignments that might not matter to you. And like Nick said, unless you want to mount a bypass shock, aftermarket’s will require more maintenance than factory and not provide much benefit other than some bling.

 

I ain't quoting all that crap, but if you don't want to mess with a press, etc I bet you could buy loaded control arms and just swap them. The ball joint and bushings would already be installed and all. Check Rock Auto.

 

I have heard you mention them a lot hear lately, you have a new sponsor you haven’t told us about?

 

He gets paid per name drop

 

That would require an alignment though. For the same money, you could buy a ball joint press which is handy to have around.

 

They should offer me one! You should see the stack of magnets I've accumulated over the years.

Seriously, compare prices. Everytime I do, Rock Auto is significantly cheaper. I just ordered a part for the yacht. It was $95 at Auto Zone. Rock Auto had it for $65. I did have to pay shipping, but I still saved some bucks. Same, exact part.

Yes. He'll need an alignment if he goes that route. But I'd rather that then pressing the joints in and out. It's not fun. Even with the right tools. I did it on the Jeep and it took two ball joint presses and special cups just to get the job done.

 

It seems it. I keep hearing about the millions of magnets he has from them. I didn’t even know that was a thing.

I replaced them on Shannon’s truck and it was not the best way to spend a Saturday, but if I had to do it again, the only thing I would do differently is remove the control arms and replace the bushings with urethane ones while I was in there.

 

Removing the control arms might have lead this to be a necessity as well as a cam bolts.

 

If only I was at home, I could post pictures of these worthless things. I say worthless, but I have let out loud sighs when I see the box doesn't have one. And sometimes I open the box to look for it before even examining the part.

I'm just not big on pressing stuff. I did all the bushings on the GTI. ALL the bushings. It was miserable. And I had a hydraulic press at the time. Removing them is a mother, and replacing them is a close second. If I can save myself time and headache, I'll spend the extra money.

On the Jeep, I broke the first ball joint press I had. Bought another one, then realized the ball joints aren't level and would be best served by purchasing specific Jeep cups for the press. And nearly gave myself a hernia pressing the new ones back in. My 1/2 inch impact couldn't even turn the threaded deal. If I can just unbolt something and swap it in with a new part, I'll do that all day.

I like to compare it to the decision between replacing a CV Joint or the entire axle assembly.

 

And for the sake of comparison: My auto parts supplier of choice has new Mevotech lower control arms for the Tacoma; complete with bushings and ball joints, for $100. Same price as my ball joint press of dubious origin.