Took the Iroc to get an alignment since I changed the struts awhile ago and they said the above parts are bad and need replaced. They quoted nearly $500 for the whole job including alignment, but since I've intended to upgrade with a front end rebuild kit I figure now is the time. Once I get the car back, how do I verify that the parts are bad? I don't really doubt that at least the idler arm is bad, since it was handling fairly sloppy on the highway yesterday, but what about the other pieces? The car did feel sloppy, but I had it around 75-80mph for nearly 3 hours and it wasn't ever TOO scary Which rebuild kit is ideal? I already have new struts and fairly new lower ball joints. Thanks for all advice!

 

That's about $125 of parts altogether. It takes about ½ hour to change them all out, with hand tools, laying on the ground. The only special tool you'll need is a "pickle fork" for taking the joints apart, which you can "rent" for free from alot of the chain parts stores.

Go to the store & buy all the parts. Get all 4 tie rod ends, both adjusting sleeves, the center link, and the idler arm. Take the parts off the car. Lay your new parts on the ground, assemble the rod ens & sleeves, and set them to exactly the same length as the old ones. Bolt the new stuff on, & drive it to the alignment shop. The whole job should cost about 1/3 of that quote if you do it that way. And, you won't believe how much better the car will drive. It's definitely worth it.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

Thanks RB! Do you think I can get really good parts at an AutoZone or something? Since these things last a long time, I'd hate to redo the job when I get a front end kit. Or should I just get poly bushings later? I'm gonna look in Summit and see what those kits run. Thanks again!

 

to see/feel if they're worn grab the part in question and shake it or try to make it move, if it's worn you'll see/feel movement within the part. after you get started it's often easier to just replace parts as you go because alot of the parts have to be removed to get at another part.

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ICON Motorsports
1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

I don't know what parts AZ has for front ends; if they're a name brand like TRW or Moog or Dana, I can't see why not. On the other hand, if they carry something made of chinesium.... go elsewhere. But of course, they'll rent you the "tool" either way.

These parts have nothing to do with poly bushings; you could do them at the same time, or wait, or whatever. If you're steering linkage is worn out though, poly bushings aren't going to fix it.

Like ede says you can check for play yourself; with steering you can do as he described, and also just look at it while somebody moves the steering wheel back and forth. Chances are, if the car has lots of miles and some of the parts are worn, then the others (which have just as many miles on them) are worn too, so you might as well replace them all.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

I went to sears to get an alignment and they gave me a 500 dollar estimate on my front end too. I didn't believe them so I took it to some other shops and they told me all I needed was an idler arm and a good alignment. Only costed me 200 dollars. Screw sears.

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89 IROC L98 3.27 BW
Hypertech stage 2 chip, Airfoil, 3 inch exhaust, gutted cat and MAF screens

 

go ahead and get the new steering linkage, poly bushings are usually only for the control arms and the sway bar, so you can do those another time, especially if you're not changing the ball joints right now.

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'86 IROC 5-speed
305 LG4
edelbrock performer rpm intake
edelbrock 600 cfm carb
msd pro billet hei distributer
'95 3.23 rearend
hotchkis rear suspension
PST front polygraphite suspension

 

$125 for 4 TRE's, 2 BJ's, a center link, adjuster sleeves and idler arm? I want to know where you're shopping RB! My MOOG center link alone was $65, $40 ea for TRE's (approx), $22 ea for BJ's, $40 for idler arm, and $8 ea for adjusters. Thats $325 for them all...

 

Well my breakdown was about $95 for all 4 rod ends, $6 each for sleeves, $60 for a centerlink and about $35 for an idler arm. Should last for now once I get it aligned and start driving it again I'll post results. Thanks guys!

 

The Iroc is back in action. I got all the parts on yesterday and it was aligned today. My advice to anyone who's gonna do this is to rent the tie rod end puller! It makes things a lot easier. The car is definitely a lot tighter and more reponsive. But the alignment guy said they couldn't get the camber to zero...they had to leave it at +1/2 degree or so...I'd wanted both sides to be at -1/2 degree...what could cause this? Shouldn't there be the same room to move the struts as there always has? I've heard of drilling the holes for the strut mounts to allow more adjustment - is this a good idea?