ok, i did this when i lowered the 89, so here's how i did it. you'll need regular hand tools, a heavy hammer, some long punches/ screwdrivers, prybars, a torch of some kind, a good shop vise, ball joint install kit and something else i'm forgetting...
if you have experience in front end work, you can do this in a day no problem. if not, you can do this, jsut might take a little longer.
i ordered a full front kit from
www.p-s-t.com. awsome products, awsome service, awsome shipping. alot of folks on this board use their products.
the kit includes:
upper and lower ball joints
outer tie rod ends
sway bar bushings (1 1/4")
upper and lower control arm bushings
new nuts and bols and hardware
end links
cost shipped to my door was around 260.00 WELL WORTH IT!
ok, first pop the hood and unbolt the top of the shocks from the control arms. you'll get the bottoms later. then raise the front of the truck off the ground, chalk the tires, all that good stuff. next remove your tires. now is a good time to check your brakes and replace the pads and rotors if needed. on my truck, everything came off, because i was lowering it at the same time. so i'll add a few steps in. you'll also notice that i didn't have my wheel wells in either. it makes it a lot easier, but you can do this no prob with them in.
next remove the caliper and the brake hose clamp that is attached to the upper control arm. find some way to support the caliper and loose line so you don't stretch the brake line. mechanics wire works well. you'll need an allen socket to get the caliper off. looks like this:
next remove the rotor by popping off the dust cap with a small screwdriver. take care not to mangle it
remove the cotter pin by bending the tabs back and slideing it out of the castle nut. then unscrew the castle nut and remove the washer and the outer wheel bearing. slide the rotor off and set this stuff aside.
if the wheel bearings haven't been replaced in a while, jsut replace all 4 of them, as well as the seals on the rear. at least repack them if you don't replace them. obviously wait to do this until you put it all back together...
remove the lower shock bolts and pull the shock out through the bottom.
should look like this now:
