1998 suspension rebuild. 4x4 Off-Road access cab, 6ft bed, 3.4L manual

I found the zinc plated Raybestos, 18mo warranty. They also have a silver powder coated Cardone, 24mo, for $4 more... any inputs on which is better?

 

1st gen tacoma, 1998, 4WD v6 3.4L manual.
The rear cam bolts are blocked by the rack and pinion. You have to remove all the steering gear i.e. rack, support bolts. Then basically pull it off mounts so you can angle the ends out enough to wiggle cam bolts out.
Rack bolts are 19 and 22mm.
Cam bolts are 19 nut and and 22mm bolt head.

Once you pull the steering rack off, you might as well replace the bushings on it. Energy suspension makes a nice poly set.
Did this today. Front cams you can access the front bolt with an impact wrench. Rear ones you need to use a socket and breaker to loosen rear bolt, then a wrench to work it out... steering rack blocks using a socket as bolt comes out.

I'm replacing my rack, should have juat pulled it, but didn't want steering fluid everywhere. Pulled the LCA, bushings look pretty darn good. Oh well, new arms with bushings coming.

. I just can't find the right diameter thing to press the metal sleeve out. Even after burning out rubber, and slicing metal sleeve, its stuck in there...
Where is the best place to sell old control arms? Once I get the bushing sleeve out, these are in good shape.

 

Since you cut the metal bushing sleeve, best bet would be to air hammer it out now. Harbor Freight has cheap $15 air hammers that will be good enough to do the trick

 

I don't have any experience with the Cardone but have been using Raybestos brake products since the '60s on muscle cars, race cars, and multiple 4x4s.

 

Suspension rebuild not cheap... $2600 for all new oem rack, arms, joints. Plus some ps lines and calipers from rock auto. And stainless brake lines from crawler. Oh, and shocks... Suspension Lifts were out of the 4600 prebuilts, so $800 or so for

Heck if I add tools:
bigger jackstands, 24" air jack, ball joint puller.

Yes, Timmy the toolman video on 3rd gen 4runner, same as 1st gen tacoma, shows Part #48632-35080 also. It also shows the huge PIA he had to go through to press the UCA bushings out. He talked about it in another vid on LCA too. He also couldn't fit the c clamp bearing press inside arms, ended up having to u buy/use a bearing splitter to get a flat press surface on arm, then had to ise a 27mm impact driver socket from Tekton to get perfect fit inside arm sleeve, but still press on bushing sleeve. This is the issue I had, couldn't find correct diameter device. Then he had to use 2 huge diam sleeves from bushing press sets from OTC. Then a HF 20ton press. So really, for me, it would be almost $550 in tools. I rented every sleeve kit that Oreillys and Autozone have, none of them had right size sleeves.

Also, using recip saw to cut inner sleeve, I feel I may have damaged the control arm sleeve, no matter how delicate I was.

Here's the Timmy video, but I feel that if you don't own those tools, replacing UCA bushings is pretty cost ineffective...
https://youtu.be/_lZbAd1_EUM?si=LPb1eSY_bOYBjRLF

 

Couple taps on the metal ring and they should come out. sometimes another cut can create a larger relief to let it come out. Hammer and a torch should work.

 

Getting ready to through all mine on my 98. 336k...original. No leaks nor cracks.
All OEM from Toyota.
Finding a place with alignment, and reputation. Tough here.

 

Wow, now you're making me feel like I should have left mine be for another 150k! Lol

When I heated LCA bushings with torch, and pressed out using a 21 taco oem jack (2 or 3 ton bottle jack would also work), they came right out. Presprayed with PB. Several of you recommended it, didn't work at all for uppers, but super easy on lowers. Here is a decent video of Timmy replacing LCA bushings and showing the Whiteline ones.
https://youtu.be/kmaZNBp1gZM?si=HWpm8nIbdqXphr-1

Arms are in good shape, no rust, wire brushing cleaned up inside. Will respray gloss black, and have ordered some Whiteline w55377A bushings for $94. Hopefully caught Orisman before my order prepped, to remove $450 of LCAs.

Tested my spring compressor that autozone was clearancing for $30. Hard to get jaws between coils, but I did and it worked well. Checked my isolator bumpers, they are still fine. So will forego the prebuilt coilovers and reuse my springs, as truck is still sitting at perfect new stock height. Still deciding... probably 4600s as there is a sale on 4.

 

Was told 4600 were not available for Tacomas. But that store is a lift & take the price hit place.
I also noticed mine is clean of rust/corrosion. No years on salted roads, just some seasons.
Ahh to be young and have a shop again...lol

 

Pretty impressed with Ourisman Toyota. They got my email about removing LCAs from order, responded within 1 hr of first business day, and noted that my selected black lower ball joint bolts were incorrect for those joints, should they swap to the green ones? Also said the lbj extra covers didn't apply to my 98 4x4, should they remove.

I said yes to both to make it easy, until I can confirm exactly what model and year tacoma leid has, and that they do fit. Anyways, they calculated my parts, tax, shipping refund. Nice.

 

Yeah, this all looks like black bolts and dust cover should work. But I didn't want to argue w them via email, while they were fixing my order and billing, over 4 bolts. I may make a 2nd order with these, not sure if the black bolts are superior or just later?

 

The black bolts are superior. This thread below documents some in-depth testing that shows just how superior they are:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...s-wanted-about-lower-ball-joint-bolts.772506/

 

Thx for that, will add them to another order. I'm sure I'll find something I forgot to buy shortly...

 

I bought new UCAs, but for those looking to reuse in future...

Firstly, you COULD just leave that outer bushing sleeve in place, just torch out the inside and polish with a wire brush! The Energy suspension poly bushings that is actually what you do! I wish I had noticed this or known, I would have kept old UCAs and just used $20 ES bushings, saved myself $400 in parts, tax, shipping! Live with the squeaks...

I measured the sleeve diameter needed to press out the UCA bushings. Smaller than 1.55" to fit inside uca sleeve. Bigger than 1.35" to ensure pressure on outer metal race for bushing, the part that gets stuck in there.

I've burned and pressed out the rubber core. Ive soaked with PB for days. I've heated with torch. I've cut the metal bushing with a sawzall and likely damaged my uca doing that. I've hammered on it with a cold chisel 100 times. None of that works. Need a press and need the right diameter sleeve. Timmy said a 27mm Tekton impact socket worked, but his link goes to a different mfg now, whose diameter is only 1.3", too narrow. I found the correct socket, 1.5" diam so should work, here it is:

$9 TEKTON 1/2" Drive x 27 mm 6-Point Impact Socket | SID22127

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-6-Point-Impact-Socket-SID22127/dp/B08DK6FSRR/

Also a bearing puller set is needed to apply pressure to the UCA sleeve, not the back side of the bearing. Timmy shows it in his video. You can't rent at autozone, but here is a cheap one of correct diameter:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722LW5RW

 

Note that if you're using the dust covers the bolts are slightly longer. It's not much, but they are, to compensate for the washer/bushing in the dust covers.

 

4600s certainly are. Or I have bluetooth shocks on mine.
Search - ShockWarehouse

 

Got 4600s from SuspensionLifts. Fast shipping, good c.s. They noted front shocks didn't come with upper bushings, so had to order a bushing kit, so I ordered it, $19 or so.

Despite ordering shocks for 98 Tacoma, bushings weren't a match. OE was a shaped washer, bushing, washer, below the mount plate. Then a bushing and washer above mount plate. Shock and kit only came with 2 washers and the top bushing. The bottom bushing is the loaded one. I talked to them, they were fast to email back, but confirmed that was all the kit had. So I was short the critical bushing.

After 2 hrs on Energy suspension site and Amazon, I ordered 2 different bushing sets of 4, hoping one was a match as both ES and Amazon claimed.
They finally arrived, just went out to install... NOT a good match for 98 Tacoma. This would be for the load bushing, front shock, that sits right under the mount plate. Neither was large enough diameter, and hole thru center was also too small. So, unfortunately, I ended up reusing the bottom bushing. They didnt look too bad, centers all good just a few small cracks at edges. But it sucks being so hard to match some shock bushings and waiting weeks for wrong parts.

Good news is my springs were good, spring compressor worked well, and some of bushings replaced. I could have bought oem for $30 a piece or something but bah.

In retrospect, I should have just ordered the oem shock assy for $96, which included all bushings and washers. About same price I got the 4600 shock.