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replacing control arms

3K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Ram1878 
#1 ·
I am replacing my upper & lower control arms with 2 sets of skyjacker 3" lift arms.
Anything else I should upgrade while I have the axle out from under the truck?
The arms will come with come with new bushings (I assume), are there other soft parts that I should look at?
Truck is 15 years old with 160k miles, 3" leveling kit with 34" tires.
The 'thunk' I get when the front axle moves is from the worn out track bar, I can live with a stock replacement if it will last another 50k miles.
 
#2 ·
make sure to have all 8 bolts ready to replace on the four link system. just piece of mind. the cam bolts especially! they are not cheap!
 
#3 ·
make sure to have all 8 bolts ready to replace on the four link system. just piece of mind. the cam bolts especially! they are not cheap!
I know. One got broken at the alignment shop last time I had it aligned.
Luckily the local dodge dealer had an eccentric bolt left in stock. A 1 hour alignment turned into an all day dabacle.
The front control arms are the last piece of the suspension to get treated or replaced due to rust removal.
 
#4 ·
Man, I'd get a better track bar before touching the control arms. I tried one stock bar replacement which lasted about a year before I saw the light in 09 and got the Thuren on there. Get a 3rd gen bar and bracket first, I say. The control arms are the same length by the way, but the bushings and zerks are nice. The upper arms are gonna be the hard ones to replace.
 
#5 ·
Man, I'd get a better track bar before touching the control arms. I tried one stock bar replacement which lasted about a year before I saw the light in 09 and got the Thuren on there. Get a 3rd gen bar and bracket first, I say. The control arms are the same length by the way, but the bushings and zerks are nice. The upper arms are gonna be the hard ones to replace.
Will it bolt in or do I need to fab it?

Is the 3rd gen superior to the 2nd gen track bar?
Keep in mind this thing only sees about 5-8000 miles a year, most of those are on road hooked up to a heavy trailer.

I will also be replacing the steering box with the control arms...the lower (closest to the pitman arm) bushing allows enough play and deflection to let the truck wander.
 
#7 ·
my steering box brace held together a bad gear box for ten years! then i just had to replace it cause it wouldnt hold oil pressure anymo!
and the 3rd gen bar is far superior. i have the upgrade.
 
#8 ·
Yeah, they (several companies) make a conversion bracket that bolts in our location to hold a 3rd gen bar. This was very popular about 5-6 years ago before the 4th gen came out. I'm not sure how easy it would be find, but they ended up costing about the same as a good aftermarket bar like Thuren's. However, Thuren hasn't made 2nd gen parts for several years and I'm not that impressed with his bar. It creaks and moans when flexed so I recommend getting a good 3rd gen bar. It is just open holes on both ends instead of the ball joint. Stock bar is rubber but aftermarket is poly or heim depending on your budget. Lots of info in 3rd gen forums for track bars also.
 
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