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Idahome
Joined: Wed May 2nd, 2018
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This was the bread and butter of my shop for a while, front end work on IFS explorers!! HOORAY!! LOL
yes lower ball joint use a hammer..Even the most stubborn ones if you punch that SOB right in the middle it will pop out. Support lower control arm with a JACK STAND for this
The drivers side, dont mess with the hvac lines, fuel lines etc until you remove the big white plastic retainer from the frame, then you can push them over far enough to get the camber bolt out. To get it in and out it rotates as you pull. It helps a great deal to remove the fowardmost bolt first then you can rotate the control arm to get a better angle on the rear bolt to clear the shock tower.
Use good parts, the cheapos will last maybe a season MAYBE. Mevotec TTX lowers are the best you can buy over the counter for the Explorer/Ranger IFS
MAS from Canada made some really nice HD ones but Dorman just bought MAS and I can no longer find them.
Otherwise its AC delco/Raebestos professional grade (gold w blue boots) they hold up okay. No MOOG!!
Motorcraft, spicer is good too. the TTX is the best, they do not make an upper? I have even written them begging for an upper.
ON my own personal trucks I will use the upper control arms that allow replacement of the joint for the next time around
Do not use cheapo wheel bearings, lucky to get 3-4 months from a set of the $40 each Ebay /Amazon bearings.
Stock CV axles / half shafts are best. If it aint broke dont try to fix it, seriously unless the boot is compromised the stock CV axles can go 200k+ miles no issue
LEAVE the upper control arm bushings slightly loose until the job is done, then return the vehicle to ride height on its tires, THEN torque the upper bolts. This is setting the pre load on the control arm bushings, very important. Otherwise you will rip the new bushings.
Looks good so far!
Yes I hate the engineer who decided HVAC lines go right where the control arm bolt wants to be, but its simple if you've done it a few times and know what to expect.
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I build custom RBV, specializing in drivetrain conversions, wiring, suspension and complete custom trucks