OBS 88-98 PST front poly bushing upgrade

[DjLunchbox]

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:

[DjLunchbox]

next remove the rotor shield off the spindle (3 bolts) and unbolt and remove the swaybar endlinks. you can also remove the swaybar at this time if you want. it's held in by 4 bolts and two bushings. be careful if you're under it, it's heavy !

next seperate the tie rod end from the spindle. undo the pin and castle nut like we did on the rotor, and (if you are replacing the tie rod end, tap it out of the hole backwards., if you are keeping the tierod ends, then use a tie rod removal tool, shaped like a fork. we call them pickle forks for some reason...

now we need to get the spindle off. this is easy. IMPORTANT!! when you undo these two nuts, the front spring could blow out causing some serious injurys. so be careful! place a jack under the lower ball joint, and jack the assembly up till the spring compresses a little.

now undo the pin and castle nut on the lower ball joint jsut like you did on the rotor. undo the nut enough so that there is enough space for the balljoint to start to slide out, but get caught on the nut. lower the jack slightly to take the pressure off the spring, but leave it under the balljoint. take your BFH or sledge, and hit the spindle where the balljoint goes thru. the balljoint is gonna be really jammed in there, so it takes a few sharp blows. a balljoint seperator will also help here, availible at most auto parts stores, but i rarely use one. once the balljoint breaks free, you can remove the nut and lower the jack. once again, BE CAREFUL OF THE SPRING PRESSURE! push the lower controll arm down and remove the spring. next unbolt the upper balljoint from the spindle the same way, and remove the spindle.

[DjLunchbox]

ok, now we have to get the control arms off so we can change the bushings. before you go anymore, take note of the positions of the way the bolts are mounted. take pics if you have to. this will ensure they are put back into place properly and your front end will stay aligned. these are the pics i took to remember. the settings will be different on your truck most likely





now simply unbolt the 2 bolts holding each arm in, and remove the arms. they will be tough to get out, even tougher to get back in. this is where you'll need the prybars and punches.

get all 4 arms out, and get ready to play with fire....


i used a oxyaceteline (sp?) torch for mine, but a little propaine torch or mapp gas will work fine too.


now we need to heat the rubber bushings to get them out of the arms. this is also a bit dangerous, since the rubber catches fire and makes an unholy mess. the bushings also like to fire out of the arms like a cannon if you are not careful. and flaming balls of rubber around your shop is not a good idea. jsut take proper percautions before you fire the torch.
these pics are for the upper arms, i didn't take any of the lowers. heat the area of the bushing, and the rubber will start to melt. we want to save the metal ends that go thru the bushings, so take care of those.




once the rubber is melting, you should be able to pop the metal ends apart with a screwdriver and remove them


next do the lowers, jsut melt them out. but these are the ones that fire out, so careful!!!

next we have to remove the balljoints themselves, especially if they look like this:


the uppers are rivited in from the factory, and must be ground/drilled/chisled out depending on what you have had done to them prior. if they were replaced already, they will look like mine, with 4 bolts holding them in
remove the bolts and pull off the balljoint:


for the lower arms, you'll need a balljoint installation/removal kit. you can rent them free at most autoparts stores, jsut need a deposit to use them
install the lower a-arm in a vice and pop the lower ball joint out with the kit.

[DjLunchbox]

before we go any further, we need to clean the a-arms and get rid of all the gungy rubber left over inside the bushing ports.



i used a dremel with a wire wheel, and some goof off adhesive type remover. wear gloves if you don't like rubber stains on your hands:







sand and paint you arms now if you so desire, i used por-15 on all my stuff

be sure to clean the little metal pieces from the upper arms free of rubber too.

next, reinstall all the new bushings using the supplied lube that comes with the kit. this will stop any squeeks that WILL happen if you don't use it. lube everything that will move with a thin layer of it....
these are the uppers:








and the lowers:

[DjLunchbox]

now we install the new balljoints. the lowers have to be pressed in with the kit:







they should sit flush. if not, you could have major problems when you get on the road again, such as your tire and spindle driving faster than you down the highway...not good.

next install the new zerk supplied with the kit. it jsut screws in the predrilled hole in the balljoint:



and put the new upper balljoints in with the supplied hardware, and install the zerk again:

[DjLunchbox]

put the new dust caps supplied with the kit on the balljoints, and you're all done with the a arms! before we put them back in, we need to replace the outer tie rod ends, it's easier to do it now.

now in order to keep the correct alignment, you need to mark the old tie rod ends before removing them. i used teflon tape cause it was all i had at the time.
mark where it enters the tie rod adjuster, and then loosen the outer adjustment bolt, and unscrew the tie rod end. it will probley pretty rusted in there, so be patient



install your zerk on the new tie rod end, and screw it in, paying close attention to keep it exactly the same legnth as the old one.



tighten the tie rod ends, and
install the dust shields for the ends. and now pop the arms back in, making sure that the holes line up. this was the most difficult for me, i spent at least an hour doing each side. a royal pain, due to the new bushings. use lots of grease on the outsides, and keep at it.

once those are bolted in, attach the spindle to the upper ball joint



install the spring, making sure it seats properly



jack up the lower control arm (BE CAREFUL!!!) and attach the lower ball joint to the spindle



attach the tie rod end


install the dust shields on the spindles

install the sway bar bushings buy jsut unbolting the old, abd bolting the new ones in. use the lube again!
and reinstall the rotor with new bearings or repack them, brakes, shocks, swaybar and endlinks, and tie up everything else.
double check everything for tightness, and go for a test drive. do slow side to side turns and listen for anything loose.

and finally enjoy your new bada$$ handleing!


everyone feel free to add anything i missed. hope this helps answer some questions for some people!
~jeremy~

[CKTA]

Good info, and your right about the PST kit.

[IH8FORD]

wow good post i need to do this to mine.

[DjLunchbox]

yeah man, i'm so happy with mine. thanks doobie for reccomending them. it's amazing the difference you get! and they're cheap too!

[CKTA]

[Suareezay]

awesome tech article. It was enough work for me just to get the job done, muchless take pictures.

[Joe]

Great work

This should be translated to HTML and posted in the FSC University area

[DjLunchbox]

Originally Posted by gmcjoe

Great work

This should be translated to HTML and posted in the FSC University area

do it up super mod!

[MIZ71]

Are the pst bushings better than the energy suspension bushings?

[DjLunchbox]

Originally Posted by MIZ71

Are the pst bushings better than the energy suspension bushings?

for the price and what you get . yes. i love mine and have done it to 2 trucks so far

[cxpcman]

nice article but got a question

what do you need to do if the balljoint of the lower CA fits loose ?

[DjLunchbox]

Originally Posted by cxpcman

nice article but got a question

what do you need to do if the balljoint of the lower CA fits loose ?

1st, make sure you have the correct ball joint for the truck, check the numbers on it. (i have no idea what they're supposed to be) if they are correct, then get a new LCA from a junkyard. you DO NOT want that coming loose for obvious reasons

[slmdLS1]

lunchbox...where ya been!?!?!

[AirSchatz]

So, what kinda advantage is there to doing this? Does this make for a smoother ride? Better handling?