Full Suspension Replacement - Rock Auto doesn’t work in my state.

[SoTempRanger]

Hello all,

First off, thanks for everyone on his forum. Long time lurker and this place has been hugely helpful! Specially when replacing my head gasket and several other misc. projects/repairs.

I have a 2000 4x4 Xlt 3.0l. My issues is that I need to completely replace all my front suspension components, cv axles and rock auto is currently in a legal battle with my state of Arizona and I can’t order. Nearly all the bushing are gone in my existing set up. It surprisingly drives and romps very well, considering. A little play in the steering but otherwise it’s good.

I want to crank up the torsion bars to max but then I’d need to get it realigned and a shop won’t touch this bushingless mess. Also, it’s time for everything to be replaced anyways.

My question is, what should I do with rock auto being out of the equation, what brand(s) is recommended and components are a must? Every other online vendor is expensive. Originally I had a $500 budget plus s&h. For example, Mevotech TTX 8pc front end kit on RA is around $320 and one single upper control arm on other stores is $120+. Just need some advice and direction. Maybe not everything absolutely needs to be replaced? Maybe I’m missing something? Idk. I do know I romp it hard while off-roading and these cheap Chinese front end kits probably won’t last long.

I’d like to replace the following:
- upper/lower control arms
- ball joints
- sway bar links
- tie rod ends
- and front shocks that can restore ride quality after maxing out the torsion bars. I was thinking Rancho RS55374

TLDR: Rock Auto says they are a drop shipper and doesn’t want to pay Az state tax and now I’m screwed. Don’t know where to find or what are quality parts (without that little RA heart) that don’t break the bank.

Thanks!

Bonus pics of my love.

 

[sgtsandman]

I would not recommend a full crank on the torsion bars, everyone who has talked about doing it didn't like the harsh ride they got.

As far as parts, amazon or ebay might be your best bet. RA prices are hard to meet or beat in a lot of cases.

The Mevotech parts you are looking at have served me well.

 

[Shran]

Sometimes eBay & Amazon are comparable with RA. Mevotech is probably fine. "Ultra Power" brand has been really bad in my experience. OEM Motorcraft is the best. Moog sucks, Dorman sucks.

Interesting that RA decided to FA & FO with Arizona on the tax deal. Wayfair did that with South Dakota and lost and now we have to pay tax on a lot more stuff. I don't see RA having much of a chance there.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You are not really missing much, with shipping RA isn't really the bargain they used to be.

I rarely get them to pencil out anymore compared to Amazon. Watch for fakes on Amazon though.

 

[djfllmn]

NAPA sells some mevotech stuff

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

After getting burned a couple times from RA, I stopped shopping there unless I absolutely can’t get it anywhere else. Got junk parts a couple times with Amazon and EBay too. Finally just took my construction business and opened a business account at a local parts store. Removed a whole lot of hassle from things. If there’s a problem, I pick up the phone and it gets fixed.

 

[Shran]

You are not really missing much, with shipping RA isn't really the bargain they used to be.

I rarely get them to pencil out anymore compared to Amazon. Watch for fakes on Amazon though.

Fake stuff on Amazon is my main worry. The counterfeiters are so good at copying stuff these days that it's almost impossible to detect it sometimes. I quit buying anything name brand on there because of that. You also never know if you're getting the best deal on something because the search results suck ass and you end up with 50 pages of semi related junk that is hard to filter through. RockAuto is still my go-to almost all of the time, eBay once in a while, but usually RA... and honestly they are just easy to do business with and always way cheaper than brick & mortar stores.

 

[Curious Hound]

Use RA to figure out what brands and part numbers you want. Then use that info to shop around.

 

[SoTempRanger]

I would not recommend a full crank on the torsion bars, everyone who has talked about doing it didn't like the harsh ride they got.

As far as parts, amazon or ebay might be your best bet. RA prices are hard to meet or beat in a lot of cases.

The Mevotech parts you are looking at have served me well.

Most people have issues with the hard ride even with longer travel front shocks?

 

[sgtsandman]

Most people have issues with the hard ride even with longer travel front shocks?

Yes. Why, I don't know. You can crank the suspension, just don't go full bore.

 

[pacstud]

I haven't used them, but partsgeek seems comparable. I like Hound's mention of locating the part number on RA and using that. I also agree Amazon is sketch. I only use them when needed or when I know I'm getting cheap junk. I would finally add that Moog is ok imo IF you get the Problem Solver line. Like Mevotech, they have a super cheap, average and "quality" (what should be all parts but...) line.