Alright guys, I'm going to tell you right now that I've never done anything with the suspension, steering or brakes, with the exception of the Rock Solid Steering fix. So go easy on me. I'm not sure which brands for these are the best, or the best for the money. I took my truck to a couple of mechanics that are known to replace the parts that need replacing only. Both mechanics came up with the same parts, here's what the most recent one wrote up:

1) Inner and outer tie rods have movement and need replacement
2) Upper and lower control arms are cracked and dried out(I assume he means the bushings?)
3) Track bar has movement in the frame joint
4) Sway bar bushings and end links are worn out
5) Ball Joints are good at this time
6) Shocks are good at this time
7) Steering gear box has play in pitman shaft and needs replacement
8) Steering dampener needs replacement
9) Rear brake drums are cracked, drums are rusted in place. Recommend replacement of drums, possibly shoes and hardware once drums are removed.
10) Engine oil pan gasket is leaking.
11) Rear main seal is leaking.
12) Rear differential is due for service and replacement of the fill plug.

Right now I'm planning on doing all of these, except for the engine oil leaks. I'm going to use rock auto for most of the parts unless I find something similar for cheaper. Also, I'm going to be doing my front brakes while I'm at it.

I also wanted to mention that I have a 1996 1500 4X4 with the 318.

Now, I want to know:
Which brands are good, rock auto has raybestos, ACdelco, and moog in the majority of parts. Then there are a lot of brands I've never heard of. I also want to know which is the best for the money.
I want to know which weight of oil to use for the differential. I searched and found that there were a lot of differing opinions on the weights. Remember that I live in a very hot climate.
I also want to know if I should just replace the differential cover(s) too, and which ones you guys got and if you still like them.
Also, when I was surfin' on rock auto, I saw that some parts were on "wholesaler clearance." I wanted to know what you guys thought about buying those parts.
I also want to know if I'm in over my head, too. haha

Now I'm definitely going to come up with more questions as this goes on, and I'm going to put up a list of parts in my cart before I buy them to see if you guys agree. Long post, thanks in advance for any answers you guys give me.

 

Hmmm... Raybestos is good enough for standard replacement, Moog is better than stock in most cases. Don't shop price when you're dealing with steering components -- your life and the lives of others on the road depend upon that stuff being right.

Use the diff oil called out in the manual, even if it costs more. Even if the only source is the stealership. Those parts you're oiling are freakin' expensive.

Leave the diff covers alone, just replace the fill plugs. The rubber-like plugs leak when they get old and are cheap to replace.

Be sure to do all of your front-end stuff in one swell foop and go for an alignment immediately afterward. Leave the test drive for after the alignment.

Unless you like the idea of paying mechanics, and even those whose heads have been up their asses so long that pulling them out would lead to death by oxygen poisoning, dive in after doing your homework. It's only the first time once.

Read the relevant manual sections over and over again until you see them in your dreams before starting work. Some poor schmoe went out and got a degree in technical writing so he could write that stuff, so there must be a reason for it. The guy who throws away the unread instructions is the guy who has no business reaching into a toolbox in the first place.

It's great fun if you approach it with the right attitude. The challenges are just the truck trying to outsmart you, and you're not going to allow it to win.

 

Thanks for the advice, my truck definitely tries real hard to outsmart me. It like to turn everything it can into a real battle. Or maybe it's just greedy and decides it wants more parts halfway through.

As for the price, it's not so much that I wanna go cheap, especially with my baby. It's that I don't want to buy a part for twice the amount of the rest, when the only difference is the price itself.

I always study A LOT before I do something like this. Especially if I haven't done it before. I have three manuals that I study religiously: Chilton, Haynes and my '96 Factory service manual. Except I don't really like the Chilton one.

Here's another question: What are the best brands for a steering dampener shock? Rancho? Monroe? Something else?

And another: PB Blaster is still the favorite penetrating fluid, right?

 

for parts - if moog is offered, get those. for bearings-Timken, SKF, or National (made in US, don't buy Chinese bearings). for Seals- National or Skf only. steering stabilizer does little to nothing. its just a shock sitting sideways, so don't spend a lot of money on it or even worry about it. some people run without one.

pb blaster is ok. crc knocker is ok. front end parts are hard to get off, so you will need impact, heavy pull bars, pickle fork, BFH, 2and3 jaw pullers, pitman puller, etc. you can rent/borrow a lot of these at the parts store. really cheap ones tend to break, and be careful, some parts pop loose rather violently.

don't overthink gear lube. any GL5. 85-90 or the expensive 75-140. if you have Limited Slip then you need the additive. its on the shelf right beside gear lube. just replace the rubber plug and save your money. a fancy cover won't make your truck any faster.

 

For suspension and steering parts go with moog. for brakes raybestos seems to be a decent brand. as dhvaughan said. 85-90 will work. 75-140 would be better especially if you have limited slip. you will get a whining noise if you use a lighter oil. my buddy found that out the hard way. unregistereduser you dont need to read directions to be a good mechanic. some people and most mechanics learn by doing not reading. which is the case for myself. if a part comes with directions i imiediately throw them away. i never have read directions for a part and i never will. im a pretty damn good mechanic too, but it is what it is. some people are different.

 

Don't waste your money on Moog, it's just a name. In the last few years Moog parts have been proven to just be reboxed generic parts, many of which are poor quality. Most house brand parts will have the same lifetime warranty and the same/better quality. I personally have been using a lot of MasterPro parts from Oreilly's. About half the cost of Moogs with the same warranty.

 

That's not entirely true at all. Moog is a much beefier stronger part then most oem and most aftermarket chassis parts out there. you can get the for a decent price if you order from rock auto. Sure you will pay out the a$$ if you go to advance auto or autozone or oreillys. Go moog or go home imho.

 

Masterpro is great! Stay away from any battery, electrical component or steering components that says autozone/valuecraft/duralast on it. Today I'm going to go use my warranty to get 2 new front shocks that have ****ted out on me in 6 months

 

Wow guys thanks for all the information!

I forgot to add that I have the open 3.55 differential.

I guess I need to find out more about Moog. Also, are there really four different tie rod ends? Left inner and outer, right inner and outer? For some reason some of the parts are listed four separate like that, and then there are ones that just list two, inner and outer.
It's supposed to be four separate parts right?

 

yes 4 seperate parts. you will also need the sleeves that join the inners and outers together. so all in all its 6 total parts.