I tried to get my car aligned and they said they couldn't, because the tie rods were old or something. For christmas I recieved the Energy Suspension Hyperflex Master Kit. After doing some research, I see that it's not really worth the money, and you end up replacing most of the same parts when you buy aftermarket stuff anyways. So now I'm leaning towards just fixing what I need so I can get the car aligned and returning this "master kit". Are these the guys I need?.

Tie Rod boots: #9-13101R, $4
Ball Joint boots: #9-13130R, $4

Also, how is summit with returns? The only concern is that I opened the plastic wrap to view the list of parts the set contained

 

Those "boots" are just the dust covers for the joints in the ends of the rod ends.

You need the WHOLE rod ends. I'd suggest getting all 4, plus new adjustment sleeves (you can get MUCH better ones than stock from several of the board sponsors, and elsewhere as well).

In fact, if the car needs tie rod ends, then odds are about 99999 to 1, that it also needs the idler arm and the center link. Might as well go ahead and get ithose too, up front. Otherwise, most likely, you'll change out the rod ends, take it back, and THEN discover you need that other stuff, anyway. The cool thing about that is, you can take ALL that stuff off as a unit, and replace it YOURSELF as a unit, with FAR less effort than replacing individual pieces of it one at a time.

THe way to do that is to take the center link loose from the Pitman arm, and the rod ends off from the spindles, with a pickle fork; scribe around the outside of the idler arm on the frame with a pick or something, and take it off by its 2 bolts; and lay all that on the ground. Assemble your new parts to match. Adjust the new tie rod adjusters to the same length as the old ones. Install the whole assembly, taking care to get the new idler arm in EXACTLY the same place the old one was.

Then take it to the alignment shop. If you're lucky and you don't need ball joints TOO (unfortunately, also highly likely), then you'll be AMAZED at how much better your car drives when you get it back.

Get a set of Energy Suspension sway bar bushings and a set of end links (hanging on cards in the "performance" aisle at VatoZone), and change them out at the same time, for another HUGE improvement in the car's road manners.

 

Thanks for the reply sofa. So these are the parts I will need?

# Moog Idler Arm $69.39
# Moog Inner Tie Rod Ends (Qty. 2) 2 @ $55.69
# Moog Outer Tie Rod Ends (Qty. 2) 2 @ $43.39
# Moog Tie Rod Adjusters (Qty. 2) 2 @ $13.69
# Moog Front Lower Ball Joint (Qty. 2) 2 @ $25.39

Wow. That's pricey.

 

I think I might have already done that, but maybe it was in the rear. I'll have to check.

 

Really? Seems pretty reasonable to me. Front end parts are a whole lot cheeeper than frequent replacement of tires, hospital bills, body repair work, fixing other people's cars and property, and stuff like that....

However, they can be had for less than that.

Inner rod ends http://www.partsamerica.com/productd...ype=79&PTSet=A $31.24

Outer rod ends http://www.partsamerica.com/productd...ype=80&PTSet=A $38.84

Center link http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...ype=61&PTSet=A $52.92

Idler arm http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...ype=63&PTSet=A $37.48

Ball joint http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...ype=66&PTSet=A $19.88

Like I said, I wouldn't go with stock adjusting sleeves. Good ones are probably $25 a set or so, just as a guess.

 

I think I'm just going to buy the Moog kit from Spohn.

 

For the price of the Spohn kit you can go to Napa and buy all NCP front end parts.

 

How about one of the most closely guarded secrets there is in replacement auto parts:

I went to some parts store and asked for a Moog center link once. I took it out of the box and looked, and it had the Dana logo and a part # on it. (not that there's anything bad about that) Then I went to VatoZone, and they pulled whatever brand they had; I took it out of the box, and found it was indistinguishable from the first, right down to the Dana logo and the same part # as the first. Then I went to Advance, and they showed me theirs in 2 brands that they had, and there plain as day was the same Dana logo and part # on both of them. Then I went to NAPA, where I discovered that they have 2 "product lines" of front end parts, one with like a 1-year warranty, and one with lifetime or something. So I opened the boxes and looked at the parts, and lo and behold! they both had the Dana logo on them, and the same part # forged into them both as all the others. They were the same part, just a different price (ALOT different) and warranty!! Now tell me: which one do you suppose I bought? (keeping in mind of course, that I'm an idiot and about as stupid as they come)

 

Casting is probably all the same as you noted. But the joint itself is probably where its at. Just guessing.

 

Same in every detail....

BTW they're not cast (iron), they're forged (steel).

I probably could have gone to a Parts Plus, where they have the Dana prodct line, and found the same part there too... in a Dana box.

 

I clicked on these links and instead of the awesome prices you posted they were anywhere from $25-50 more...did I miss a sale or something?

 

You got me....

I just clicked on them, and they're still the same prices that I had copied and pasted from the pages themselves.... No idea what's going on.

 

Way too much $$$

NAPA's MRC brand is MOOG with their name on it (so I have been informed). I got everything in that kit (less adjusting sleeves) and added ball joints for just over $220. Also orderd the adjusting sleeves from UMI. Will be installing these when they all arrive and putting poly buhings in.

 

Yeah. I did some thinking. My grandpa works for Carquest. He's a driver. He can get parts super cheap (at cost I think). I'm going to buy the parts from him, except for the adjusting sleeves, which I'll get from Spohn.