I'm rebuilding the front end. Not every single piece at once like I had originally planned. The shakes and shimmies have gotten worse, and I can't afford "everything" right now. I'm installing all new steering pieces and bushings.

I've ordered the inner and outer tie rods, ball joints, adjuster sleeves, idler and center link. Shocks struts springs and upper bearings are going to have to wait for the tax check.

I know I need to measure the SB for bushing size, and I know what bushings/endlinks I need for the swaybar.

What else do I need?

 

a-arm bushings, but do those when doing your springs and struts. You need to take off the a-arm.

Do not get poly bushings for the a-arm. Get Del-A-Lum or stick with the stockers.

 

What about the tie rod ends? ...or do they come with the tie rods?

I'm a chassis newbie, I'm learning.

 

That all comes together. You can think of them as ball-joints on a stick. The only thing you could change is poly dust shields, but personally, I think the rubber ones are better. That goes especially true for the ball-joint shield. The shield that comes with the ball-joint is pressed on. The cheapo poly one from ES "slips" on and doesn't nearly offer as much cover. IMHO, of course.

 

You can' t buy "tie rods".

A "tie rod" consists of 3 pieces: an inner end, an adjusting sleeve, and an outer end. Both the inner end and the outer end have wear parts in them, and need to be replaced from time to time. Sounds like now is the time.

So, you need 2 inners and 2 outers. Go buy them.

Adjusting sleeves cost like $5. It's not worth taling apart your old ones to re-use them. So just buy new ones while you're buying the ends.

That means you'll have new outer, new inners, and new adjusting sleeves.

In other words, all new tie rods. So you're already there.

There are 2 "sets" of components: steering, and suspension. "Steering" would consist of the tie rods, center link, idler arm, and gearbox rag joint; as well as a gear box adjustment. Do all that as a unit. You can do it yourself, then drive the car to an alignment shop.

You could split "suspension into 2 parts: sway bar stuff, and everything else. Sway bar parts are its bushings, and end links. Those are CHEAP. Do them right away. At the same time as "steering" would be good.

Hardcore "suspension" stuff would be the ball joints, control arm bushings, springs, struts, and strut bearings. There is ABSOLUTELY NO POINT WHATSOEVER in taking the front end apart in a totally worn-out car to replace any one of those, without replacing them all; because you'll just have to take it all apart AGAIN to replace any other one of them. In other words, don't mess with BJs (well, at least not ball joints) until you can get all the other things on that list taken care of at the same time. Just accumulate all that stuff over a period of time until you're ready.

I'd suggest getting a pair of CAs at the boneyard, and taking them and the bushings and the ball joints to your neighborhood tire store at about Miller:30 on a Sat afternoon; and slip the tech a $20 (or 6 of his favorite beverages) in exchange for doing that for you. That particular part is almost like work, the bushings especially. Perilously close in fact. It sucks. I won't do it. One of the few things I won't do on my own car. But that way, you simply unbolt your old CAs, and re-bolt the refreshed ones, without disabling the car endlessly while you try to figure out how to get those damn things out, and then waiting for new stuff to come in after you trash something in the process. They're a REAL PITA.

 

Are the delums a solid metal piece if I remember correctly? Wouldn't these transfer quite a bit of shock from the road to the frame if he is using it for a daily driver? Whats wrong with poly bushings. I used them and they worked out fine. Not the red ones tho, no squeaks either.

Dynodan

 

I've got a friend who manages a garage, and we had the car up on the lift tonight for the front end inspection, and to let me actually be able to see everything. I pretty much knew it all, but wanted to be sure.

The actual "problem" turns out to be the idler arm. It's got about 1/2" of play in it! My buddy said that was a TON! Anyhow, I need to at least fix the problem since I don't really feel comfortable driving it out of town, and there's a BIG show at lowe's motor speedway in Charlotte in a few weeks. It's 3 day event, over 50 clubs and several thousand cars. It's a big deal and our club doesn't miss it. Anyhow, as it stands, I won't make the drive.

We're going to replace the steering components here in a few days. The CA's and suspension will probably be in a month or two. We'll have to see if I can get my tax refund soon, and maybe I can do it all at once. I doubt it though.

Thanks for all the responses.