Front Suspension Rebuild

[xeris]

At 236000 mi. the creaking, thumping and squeaking needs to come to an end. Long overdue for a rebuild
Slowly getting ready to start gathering parts. The truck has lived it's entire life in AZ and the frame and suspension components are for the most part rust free. I have a ball joint press and have done this type of job before on other vehicles. Also have the torsion bar tool and have read up on how to remove them. I understand that it's more time to replace the bushings and ball joints in the original arms than replacing with complete parts. For me, extra time spent is not an issue, especially if it reduces cost.
I'm of the understanding that I will need camber/caster eccentric hardware to properly complete the rebuild.
A couple of questions that I have are.
Is there any advantage/disadvantage using the single or two piece (right side) upper control arm? Assuming I go with complete aftermarket arms.
Are the after market control arms, both upper and lower with ball joints and bushings, good enough quality? That is, equal to OEM parts.
Any helpful tips would be appreciated.

Thanks in advanced
Dave

 

[don4331]

The advantage of the 2 piece arm is you can adjust caster; with one piece you are stuck with how Ford welded up the chassis. As the left (driver's) side didn't have any adjustability, Ford engineers didn't consider it critcal.

The camber adjusters are on the upper control arm bolts. you should be able to reuse the existing ones. (I mark the existing ones position and use that as starting point after replacement.

I can't comment on quality of aftermarket arms, I've just replaced bushings/ball joints.

When I did mine, I had truck up on stands, then used hydraulic jack to lift lower a-arm. Then I disconnect the upper ball joint; when I lower the jack, pressure comes off the torsion bar and eveything falls apart.

Reassembly is reverse process.​

 

[pjtoledo]

the 2 piece passenger side upper control arm is replaced with a single piece.
caster can be adjusted by rotating the camber cams in opposite directions.

 

[xeris]

Thank you both, don4331 and pjtoledo for the replies. Confirms the info I had researched.
Now to fork over some dough.

 

[mikkelstuff]

My experience, Moog still make quality parts. I used Moog ball joints and upper control arms for my 2002 4WD Ranger and have been pleased.

 

[sgtsandman]

The Mevotech TRX line is a decent brand to work with as well. Don’t get the non-TRX, blue booted parts. Those are junk.

 

[xeris]

Well I finally did the front end rebuild. I know it's been a while, but better late than having a ball joint separate at speed and crash. All the ball joints were scary loose.
Went with Moog parts. Control arms, tie rod ends and sway bar links. The lower control arms where the torsion bar indexes into seems a bit sloppy compared to the stock arm. Don't know if this will be an issue in the future. Also can't say I'm impressed with the sway bar end links, but it is what it is. Time will tell. Also replaced the steering rack, PS pump, associated lines and return hose and new Bilstein shocks. Had the alignment done yesterday and it feels solid and tight. Overall everything went well and I'm pleased with the results.
Some notes of possible interest: Purchased a tool for unloading/loading the torsion bars when I first contemplated doing the rebuild 2 years ago. The tool was not for a Ranger/Mazda. Ended up taking the bars off with a 6" C clamp. The C clamp did not work for reinstalling/loading the bars. I don't recommend doing this. Some info I found used a 2 jaw gear puller. Given the quality available, or lack of, not sure if that would work safely. Looked on-line for a proper tool and didn't find any that looked usable because of the width of the cross member. The tool really needs to grab onto the flange of the cross member. Fortunately my neighbor used to own an auto repair business and had Snap-On (very high quality) gear puller that did the task with ease. Today I'll put the inner fender liners, new splash shields on and refinished fender flares. Next project: rebuild/replace the front brake components, find an upholstery shop across the border in Auga Prieta (I live close) and have the front seats redone, replace the rear shocks, rebuild rear brakes and drop in a refreshed engine. Maybe someday!
Hoping for another 250K miles of smooth sailing