I dont have a service manual, or haynes manual. Does anyone care to share what the torque specs are for the camber bolts and the ball joint's nut (that connects to the knuckle)?

Probably going to tackle this job next weekend.

Maybe down the line I'll grab a haynes book because I am keeping this beast for the long haul.

 

I had to replace my upper arms because of bad ball joint boots. It’s insane that the ball joint is a stamped one piece unit with the control arm. I now have to replace my front sway bar links. The bushing is rotted and the welds on the links are almost rusted through. These trucks are built absolutely as cheap as possible.

 

It's the truth. The best money someone can spend on one of these trucks, is on a set of grease-able upper control arms, grease-able lower ball joints, aftermarket sway bar end links and new aftermarket struts.

If anyone is making payments, and finishes, put away two months worth of payments, and invest in the parts to rebuild the front end. It will be worth it.

 

The bolts from the control arm to the frame are 75 ft lbs.

The ball joint to the steering knuckle is 55 ft lbs.

*Specs from Dodge service manual*

 

Thanks!

 

I wanted to let you guys know...

The parts came today. They look very high quality. Thick blue boots over the joint, and the best thing is, there grease-able.

For some reason, I thought they were sealed lifers, but upon inspection they are in fact grease-able. They came with the fittings of course. They do not come greased as far as I can tell.

The point is...for $65 a pop, they are quite a bargain being that you can grease them, and most likely keep them on the truck for a very long time. (I hope)

Are the factory lower ball joints grease-able by any chance? Cause if they are...Ive never looked..

 

I am in the exact same boat - I just got back from the shop, and I have 3 bad balljoints, two bad outer tie rod joints, and two bad sway links. Naturally, it's out of alignment, and un-alignable because of the worn parts. Pretty much what I expected, considering what a claptrap my truck has felt like for the last few thousand. I'm at 66,000 miles on the factory front end, and it's shot.

Check out the Mevotech page for the uppers - PN # 25141

http://partsonline.mevotech.com/Show...spx?pn=MS25141

Clearly greasable!

Here's my front end rebuild:

UPPERS: Mevotech #25141
LOWERS: MOOG #K80605
SWAY LINKS: Deeza #DDL638
TIE ROD ENDS: Deeza #CHT618
SWAY BUSHINGS: Raybestos #5501270

I couldn't find the greasable sway bar bushings, but I think Raybestos Pro Grade will be a big step up from the tired factory jobs.

Total cost for parts = $362.11 shipped. How can you beat that?

Also, I am pretty impressed with both the Mevotech and Deeza websites. They offer clear pictures and a list of design features that make me confident my truck will be better than new. The MOOG info on RockAuto is a bit skimpy, which is why I only went with MOOG lower balljoints. I believe they are greasable, and all the other parts clearly include grease fittings. I for one am very excited about that.

RockAuto shipping is usually very quick - hopefully I'll have a test drive report soon!

 

Thanks for the review Monkey. Ill wont be spending the extra on the Moogs I guess. Ill have to go invest in a grease gun. lol

The factory lowers arent greasable. It is meant to be easier to service since there are no lube points on the chassis.

 

It might not be a bad idea to stick a needle adaptor on a grease gun and grease up the lower non-serviceable joints. I have heard of several people doing this with good luck. I suppose at 50,000 miles the damage is already done though.


Anyway, I will let you guys know how the upper's work out. I am installing them on Saturday, and hopefully it won't take more then an hour.

 

Agreed. I also contacted the Mevotech Manager of suspension parts and ball joints via email about the uppers, the boot material, and grease recommendation. They got back to me in under 24 hours. Very good pictures on the mevotech site.

As I said earlier, it would make sense for anyone with low mileage to get a grease gun needle and grease the factory ball joints. They die at 50k because there dry, period. It's a simple ball joint, as long as it stays greased, it lasts. Better to have a tiny hole in the boot then run a ball joint dry.