since i have a hard time keeping an alighment good on the truck and ill be getting new tires and rims really soon..i was thinking about replacing the balljoints... i called around for prices and it seams the upper balljoints are pretty cheap (from napa..) like 20-25 bux.. but the lowers were crazy.. like 80 bux each... can anyone tell me why? i was thinking the lowers cant be pressed out so the lowers come as a whole unit being a new steering nuckle... also napa alright for unjoints too, as far as brand wise? ive noticed napa usually makes an awesome part...

i was also wondering if a bad tracbar and screw with your alignment... i really dont have a bad problem with death wobble... doesnt shake violently at any speed when i hit a good size bump... the only thing it does is "bumb steer" .. it will want to wonder really bad when i hit a good size bump...figured balljoints would cause that...

 

Well, the uppers they probably have in a cheaper brand as well as the Napa...the lowers are only available in the Napa brand the last ones I did = more expensive...and yes, I like Napa quality...I believe they're reboxed Moog parts basically, good stuff.


The bump steer could be ball joints, tie rods, a bad trackbar, or the steering dampner shock if you have one...to check the trackbar, it's best to do a "dry park" test...have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth with the wheels on the ground...look at the socket where it connects to the frame and you'll see it popping in and out if it's bad. Ball joints/tie rods obviously shaking the wheel in the air left/right & up/down...steering shock check for leakage or disconnect if it's dry to see how much resistance it has, should take a bit of force to collapse, not just push right in.

 

the steering damper is new (10K on it... a procomp damper came with my new procomp shocks i put on)

ill check this weekend to see whats goin on...another thing i forgot to mention,,, the truck likes to wander really really bad in hihg winds... like ont he freeway and it i get hit by a good crosswind ..the truck will get pushed all over the place... i figured that would be cause by a bad tracbar

 

Being the n00b here I'm unaware of the mods you've done...any linky? :P I need ideas...

The wandering could be several things also...bad trackbar included...is it regularly greased? If the joints aren't greased regularly, they could start seizing, giving the wandering feeling...alot of toe-out can also do it...alignment done/checked recently?

 

I jst got my new wheels and tires on and they said i need new lower ones. They said 220 with labor. Sux

 

fiveliter were you asking about my mods? if so

K&N CAI
Edelbrock headers
Magnaflow highflow cat
Flowmaster super 40 detla
2.25 duals
hughes plenum fix
MSD full system
180Deg thermo
elec fan conversion
BRAND NEW 46RE crappomatic.. and all new goodies for the innerds

i think thats it... no suspension mods yet... starting to work on them here in a bit

im going to napa and have them pull the balljoints off the shelf and see if i can look and tell if theres a different in the two... from what i understand the uppers and lowers are both pressout pressin .. so they should be able to be replaced with the stock knuckle

 

I can't wait 'til I can do some stuff...probably won't be any this year...might get a shaker hood, o.e. hood's got alotta chips and some rust bubbles around the grille. Apparently the previous owner actually used my truck as a...truck. Body work needed first, Cleveland winters are rough.

Anywho, the ball joints do just press in...iirc, you've gotta remove the lower first, then thread the press thru the hole in the spindle to get the upper...I work on all makes/models, and it's been awhile for Ram bj's, so maybe different. Let me know about the $ difference when you find out.

 

As far as ball joints go MOOG is the only way to go. LIFETIME WARRANTY. If you break it or wear it out they will replace them. They are available at most auto parts stores. NAPA uses TRW. They are a good joint but the liners inside the joint are plastic. The moog ones used a hardened brass material. Same goes for the track bar and tie rod ends.