Need help. Fix my ball joints or get new uca's?

At my last inspection I was failed due to bad ball joints on both sides and rack and pinion bushings were bad. I was quoted 900 for me to pass. That's Bullshit so I took it to a less reputable shop in town and it passed. But I still want to fix my truck as it's my baby. I researched a little bit and found a whole rack and pinion bushing kit on Toytec for $15! I don't know how hard it is to do or if I can do it myself. Also saw that Toytec had I believe total chaos uca's that were uniballs for around $650. Also I don't know if I can do that myself. I am looking for advice from some of you that are more mechanically inclined than I am.
Thanks!

 

900 is most certainly bullshit! I believe in you, there are threads on how to replace the rack bushings, it's not horribly difficult. You would need a floor jack and a couple jack stands for sure. As well as an assortment of some tools sockets. The ball joints are harder, but you can rent the specialty tools needed to do them from autozone or advanced. Though if you plan on doing a good amount of offroading and your rig is lifted the uca's would be a good idea. I believe allpro offroad makes some cheaper ones

 

Does the uniballs uca's replace the ball joints completely?

 

Why not go for Camburgs uniball UCAs... for $599 you get upper arms made from 4130 chromoly tubing, air craft grade bolts and a 1 inch Aurora uniball to replace the weak stock ball joint. These not only replace the factory arms and provide more strength but also provide more positive castor and corrects the geometry when lifting the truck. I highly suggest you go for these arms because they will be more beneficial in the end and not be a hassle like trying to find new ball joints, or going for the cheaper made UCAs. If you have any other questions, let me know or give Camburg a call and I'll help ya out

 

Yes they do, but they are also only used on lifted trucks to help correct alignment issues. If you not lifted don't bother because they will not really help you.

Personally $900 for those repairs isn't bad. I'm a mechanic and that seems pretty fair. Take that with a grain of salt but regardless, even if you do the work yourself you'll still need an alignment.

When removing the power steering rack disconnecting it from the steering column can be a pain. Especially if it is rusty. Be very careful when it is disconnected because if you turn the steering wheel you can easily damage the clock spring.

TIP: Move your drivers seat all the way up and run the seat belt through the steering wheel and latch it. Then move the seat back as tight as you can get the belt. This will help prevent damaging the clock spring.

TIP: If you get poly bushings for the rack, use lots of grease. If not greased enough poly bushings can make lots of noise.

 

I plan on lifting the truck at some point in the near future. But the ball joints are more important. So is it absolutely necessary to do one before the other? What type of bushing will be best for the rack and pinion?

 

We use the energy suspension or Daystar Rack and Pinion bushing kits. Both work very well. I have both in stock.

As for the Arm's. Camburg's price is hard to beat. They replace the entire arm. And it's usually cheaper route to replace the whole arm, then buy ball joints and then the labor to swap them out. Your getting a much stronger joint, better looks and performance. I also have the camburg in stock and we have a TW discount as well.

Also, Like said above, the $900 is fair. it's a lot of labor. IF your gonna do em, do them both at the same time so you only have to get and pay for 1 alignment.

 

Ok I will probably go with camburgs. But back to do I need to lift before I get the ucas?

 

Nope, the Uca's will not provide any lift. No need to touch the rear

 

Removing the steering rack isn't necessary to replace the rack bushings. I didn't and it only took me an hour for the job

 

Ok well it's good to know I can do it. I found a few write ups on it. As for the ucas it's nice that I don't need a lift to get them. I am still undecided if I want to do a trail truck or if I want to make it a racing type of truck. I am 2wd. So they will help either way.

 

no the uca's will be fine in stock height and your nearest alignment shop will probably thank you for getting them first.