Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum type of things. I was wondering about the lower control arm bushings. Do they need to be pressed out? I was told mine are worn out and need to be replaced. Can someone please help?

 

yes. And it is not fun.

 

Do yourself a big favor buy new arms way easier and less hassle plus faster they are not that pricy look on rockauto.com for them.

Still its not easy replacing them and you may want to replace a few other things at the same time like ball joints and torsion bar links and if 2wd the coil spring isolators and possibly new coil springs.

 

Thanks for all the help. That's what I was afraid of. Sounds like it's going to be new contro arms.

 

I replaced all my ball joints the top control arm bushings new torsion bar links new coil springs and isolators and my Dakota now takes on speed bumps with ease.

Only two things I have not replaced the bottom control arms and my tie rod ball joints I figure in two or three years I will replace those but for now everything is solid no slop at all.

But after looking at everything I noticed just replacing the control arms is the best bang for the buck and way easier also.

Just wish I had grabbed new top control arms it would have been easier faster.

 

I had a shop do my lowers, was 4 hours of labor, 2 hours per side.

 

Removing everything is not that hard but consumes time on 2wd don't use the coil spring compressor just jack up the front till the assembly drops down and apart that part is easy DO NOT use the coil spring compressor.

If buying the bottom control arm no rivet removal is needed that makes it easy for you but the top is very easy to remove the rivets if not buying a top control arm and the bushings are better left to a machine shop just remove and take them in.

If a 2wd I recommend new coil spring isolators they smash down after about 10 years

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...to-w-pics.html

 

The shop I took it to, the spring was still pre-loaded with the front dropped out on the 2-post lift. They had to make their own tool to compress the spring inside the A-arm (a regular compressor won't fit) enough to pull the LCA bolt out and pop the spring out, before they could remove the ball joint from the upright.

I had them swap in V8 springs....if he wasn't a fellow racer, he said he wouldn't have done it.

 

If you replace the bushings go w/ poly bushings. The kit is hardly any more money and they will out last the truck. I bought mine from Energy Suspension and have been on there for about 40-50k miles with no problems so far. I had a shop do mine as well. I don't recall how much it cost but I think it was around $400 like magnethead said, which in my mind is well worth it because they're such a PITA the replace.

 

which is funny, seeing as you can do the uppers in the driveway (tire off, tie upright up with bailing wire or ratchet strap, remove upper arm, reverse).