((title edited... I'll redo the first post soon to reflect what's going on now as this has moved from a "help me" to a "here's what's being done and going on"))

Hi all,

I need new ball joints for my '05 Ram 1500 (4WD) truck.

The dealer wants $300+ to do just one side... so instead I'm going to be buying the parts myself and having a friend (who has the tools and does this for a living) help me do the job. Basically, we're going to make a day of it and it will be a great learning chance for me.

This brings me to my main question... what's the opinion of the boards here of the best (long lasting) brand and/or best performance to price ratio for doing all the ball joints??

I'm honestly not sure what parts I need or what would need to be replaced, but I figure as long as we're going to open up the front end, I figure may as well take the time to replace all the main items... (ie, control arms? CV joints?, etc.)

I'm sure my friend will have some input, but can't talk to him for a few days and wanted to try and order or pickup the parts soon.


I saw this online... but of course am very concerned about quality...
http://www.am-autoparts.com/Dodge/Ra...FYI7MgodYmsAow

We have a NAPA, O'Reilly and AutoZone in my city so I'm thinking parts shouldn't be a problem.



So again... best price/quality product for replacing OEM ball joint parts?
and...
...thoughts on other items to check or replace as long as we're doing the ball joints.


Thanks for any tips or suggestions.

 

I went with moog lowers and factory uppers, because the upper is the whole arm

 

I've been seeing moog listed in a few places as the defacto suggestion so I'll look into their prices.

Does moog not make a full upper then?

 

Also look into Raybestos!!!

 

Moog. Just make sure they have grease fittings.

 

moog and raybestos are both good, check rockauto, they've got about the best prices around.

 

sorry about not getting back sooner. thanks for all the suggestions.

I am looking at Rockauto and Raybestos at the moment, but I'm getting a little confused.

I'm looking at doing both the upper and lower ball joints as well as the control arms for both.

I only see a few options under "ball joints" and a few others under "control arms"... so would these be the correct part numbers and descriptions for what I need to do?? I found these under "control arms" (not ball joints).


$50 (2x) - RAYBESTOS Part # 5021078 Professional Grade - Complete Arm w/ Ball Joint
Front Upper; Advanced Technology

$90 (1x) - RAYBESTOS Part # 5071782 Professional Grade - Complete Arm w/ Ball Joint
Front Right Lower; 4WD

$100 (1x) - RAYBESTOS Part # 5071781 Professional Grade - Complete Arm w/ Ball Joint
Front Left Lower; 4WD


Finally... would these "kits" also include new bushings?... I ask because I'm considering replacing those as well.

also... why are these Moog kits so spendy???
$240 (x1) - MOOG Part #CK620743 - Problem Solver - Front Right Lower; 4WD; Incl. bushings

 

wow... Rockauto goes out of stock fast.

While I've been waiting for a reply to make sure I'm buying the correct parts my left lower is now gone and there's only one left of the right lower.

Hope they come back in stock quickly....

 

For the lowers you can replace just the ball joint if you want, it will press out. You can rent a ball joint press kit from advance or wherever. The upper one is complete with the a-arm, and is not possible to replace just the upper ball joint. That should be the correct one for the upper, the lower you want is either the 5051294 (professional grade) or 5051294B (service grade) if you are going raybestos and just want to replace the ball joint.

 

Thanks... I do want to replace the control arms too... MN salted winter roads are the main reason.

Would the Raybestos parts I listed be the correct parts and everything I need to do the uppers and lowers on both sides?

Also... can anyone confirm if these include new bushing as well?

Thanks again.