PLEASE FOLLOW ALL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND TECHNIQUES WHEN DOING THIS!!!
Recently I inquired about information on rebuilding the front suspension on our Durango's. Hydra was kind enough to lead me to an older post by Schusterjo. He documented with photo's and rebuilt his, but one difference in his vehicle versus mine was his is 4wd and mine is a 2001 RWD 4.7. with rack and pinion steering. Following Shusterjo's procedure and the parts I will list you to can rebuild your front end and save yourself quite a bit of money. I used all Moog parts purchased at Rockauto.com. The control arm bushings came from Jegs. Here is a list of parts for a 2001 SLT, RWD 4.7 The fact I have rack and pinion steering is not necessary info for ordering see below why I added this info!
Moog:Upper Ball joint - K7392 x 2
Lower Ball Joint - K7393 x 2
Stabilizer Bar Link - K7242 x 2
Tie Rod Ends Inner - EV406 x 2
" " " Outer - ES3571
Energy Suspension Bushings - 5.3122G/B means red or black same material different color.
I did not replace tie rod ends at this time, I included the part # in the event you replace them. Remember to check and double check the part numbers when ordering or call if not sure.You may find the parts somewhere else cheaper but I feel I got the best deal at RockAuto. Do not even bother to use Advance,O'Reilly or any other local parts place unless you can get them at the same price as Rockauto or cheaper. I ordered all parts from internet so it takes some planning before you do actual repair. Total cost for all parts were around $350 / $375 not including shipping. I did sign up for Amazon Prime and got free shipping for $79 a year but it gives you a "try it" option at which time you can cancel within 30 days. I will cancel just used feature to get free shipping!l lolol!!
Follow instructions from Energy Suspension on bushing removal and the process will go without any problems. Do not attempt any other technique because it could damage metal sleeve bushings go into.
One tip when removing front bolt of right side lower control arm you will need to loosen right side bolt securing the rack and pinion to cross member if you have R/P steering. Front bolts of lower control arm require a torx bit to hold bolt. If you don't have a torx a vise grip will work. I don't know torx size for the bolt I just used vise grip but suggest getting a set of torx because they do come in handy from time to time.

Removing the rivets holding the ball joints was time consuming and a pain. I did see a video from Dodge on removing the rivets and I must say I did not use their method but wish I would have. It calls for using a die grinder and a cutoff wheel cutting an X into the head of the rivet and then drilling into the rivet a 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch then use an air chisel to remove heads. A 3/8 drill bit will take out enough material to allow removal. If you decide to totally drill out after grinding (another method) off heads center punch and use a step drill process starting out with a 3/16 drill and increasing the size until you get to the 3/8 bit. Rivet can then be hand cold chiseled or use air chisel if available. There are some You Tube videos out there I used as reference but it will be mostly up to you and your own talents and other info. I hope this helps anyone attempting this and if you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will help you any way I can.
Also the process will go much faster if you have a friend to help you. You can each take a side and go at it. Also mark the location of the upper control arms and position as they are mounted to top of frame this will help during re installation.
Also be prepared to use a combination of metric and standard tools while removing components! ARGHHH!!! What was Dodge thinking!! lololol!! Sorry I did not take photos but Schusterjo does include photos which will help immensely. I am simply adding information to something that already exists only for a different application. GOOD LUCK!!
NOTE: You Will Need To Do An Alignment After Performing the Rebuild!!

 

Nice wright up, but I would like to add you can tell if it is the factory ball joints because of the rivets. If its not riveted they have already been replaced. Also moog grease-able ball joints are awesome. Moog makes good stuff, props for using them Augie.

 

adukart you are correct about the riveted joints. I believe that would apply only to the upper ball joints which had a recall due to failure. I purchased this vehicle from the original owner which had upper replaced using bolts and lowers riveted. If an owner has this situation I would go ahead and replace all four. I can not believe what a difference in the ride of my D! It is a new vehicle. I have 165,+++ miles and it is still running strong. Does not burn a drop of oil believe it or not. I strongly reccommend the Energy Suspension bushings also. From what I have researched I probably saved myself at least $1,000.00 by doing this myself.

 

Hey same here, just gonna hit 165k and running fine.

 

i appreciate you taking the time to let everyone know what the cost for this job is. i will likely attempt this during the summer. altho im wondering how long it would take one person to do everything including the tie rod ends?

 

@maxfly,You could do this over the course of a week end.Check the DIY section for doing the tie rod ends. I can't remember if Shusterjo covered the tie rods in his rebuild but check it out. He documented his repairs quite well. I seem to remember a You Tube video also covering it. Some of the videos will be on a Dakota but still applies. I don't know if your vehicle has rack and pinion steering but if it doesn't it may not be that difficult to do. R/P requires a few more steps for the replacement compared to not having it. Regardless of what you have make sure to mark the locations of tie rod ends before removing them. It will make it easier for you and the person doing the realignment. If you are getting a popping or clunking noise when you are turning the steering wheel you need ball joints. You can also raise the front end and using a large pry bar under the tires pry up while you or someone else observes the ball joints for movement. Do not continue driving if you are experiencing this. The ball joints may fail while driving and can result in loss of steering which would not be good for you. Good Luck!!

 

Your welcome and thanks.