Front End Rebuild Help

Pics or it didn’t happen!

 

Looking great so far!
I found the sawzall very helpful in cutting off the upper ball joint stud to press it out with the pittman puller. That's the technique in the Timmy the tool man video linked above. YMMV.

 

Are lower bushings solid? Asking as 4th gen 4Runner, for example, require front and rear bushings to be installed in certain way due to their geometry/construction, and not everyone knows and follows it.

 

Mine seemed solid! I did not know about the subtleties of installing them, but the shop I took them too does this all the time and it seems like they did a good job. I guess time will tell.

 

Final update: I’m done! Aligned and back on the road! I’ll post some more pics later today when I have time, but the ride feels a million times better.

 

Just a heads up there's no need to use a shop or press for removal or installation of the LCA bushings. This little jig is easier, cheaper, and more effective

 

Great! Can you tell the good folks on here how to make/use one?

 

1. Buy the following:
- 1/2" threaded rod (about 18" length)
- (2) nuts that'll thread on
- Handful of washers
- (1) 1-3/8" socket (3/4" drive)
- (1) 1-13/16" socket (3/4" drive)

2. Assemble jig with sockets' larger openings facing inboard towards each other. Place washers outboard of each socket. Lastly place nuts outside of washers.

3. To remove LCA bushings, press them out with the OEM bottle jack (or similar sized bottle jack). Position bottle jack between LCA eyelets and as jack is extended it will push LCA bushings outboard through the LCA eyelet. Once one bushing is out, rotate bottle jack opposite direction (180°) and press out opposing bushing.

4. To install new bushings use jig with threaded rod running through the center of the bushing/eyelet, and press bushing in with smaller (1-3/8") socket. Larger socket will receive bushings coming through LCA eyelet. To press bushings in, simply tighten both nuts with box end wrenches on each nut, on both sides of the jig, simultaneously. Tightening until bushing is fully seated in LCA eyelet.

 

Thanks for putting that together!

 

Any problems bending the control arm with this removal method?

 

Wondered the same thing. I suppose you could build a little frame out of unistrut or something so the arm doesn’t get bent. I’ve seen people use big ratchet straps and that seems iffy to me.

 

Not in my experience. Done it 3-4 times now on 3-4 different trucks, and never had a problem

 

Alright, I'll give it a try and see how it goes!

 

Another tip would be to but the control arm in a vice when doing this, and orient it where the bushing will fall downward into a bucket full of rags (sometimes I've seen these bushings shoot out with some real force). And once you have some good tension on that bottle jack you can apply a little heat to that LCA eyelet and then often the bushing will just come out real nice and slow

 

Ok folks, just wanted to cap things off with a final update. All the work I set out to do (I ultimately opted against replacing the upper control arm bushings because they didn’t seem to need it) has been completed and it took me around 12-13 total hours of work. I was blessed by zero rust issues and probably a bit of luck. I strongly encourage anyone who attempts this to rent/ buy ALL the tools that are recommended in other write ups by Adventure Taco/ Timmy. And a

$116 Milwaukee M18 Cordless Lithium-Ion 6-1/2" Circular Saw - 2630-20 - ( MILWAUKEE ) - BARE TOOL

Milwaukee M18 1/2” impact with a good set of impact sockets will save your life on this project. Buy replacement camber bolts/ sleeves and return if you don’t need them. Mine slid right out, but you may not be so lucky. Someone with more experience than me should post a tutorial on lining up the new steering rack/ centering the indexing post. It’s an annoying trial and error process if your replacement rack doesn’t have witness marks, and it seems there’s a dearth of info on this process. That was really the only annoying part of the job for me. I found that 4-5 hours of work per day was ideal. You really ought to quit while you’re ahead and have enough energy to organize all tools and materials for the next day. Mistakes happen when you’re tired and rushed! Enough rambling from me! Thanks to all who offered advice and suggestions. Cheers! Here’s some photos:

Last photo shows the new TRD rims I inherited from a buddy who never used them. No more shitty stock steel rims!

 

Looking good! Should be all set for years to come!

I second the call for a steering rack tutorial, since I'll be doing that one on my parent's 4Runner at some point.

 

Great job! Did a similar full swap on my 98 4Runner and it’s night and day difference on ride quality

 

Well done! Great and helpful post!
Now hit those wheel flares with a buffer and meguires 205 to make them black again...

 

I’ll have to try that! In the past I’ve used a heat gun and linseed oil—it lasts for a couple months.

 

Ceramic coating works and lasts much much longer