First Time DIY UCA/LCA (& Outer Tie Rods) Replacement - Any Guidance?

[CruelJung]

I am soon to be replacing my front upper and lower control arms, as well as outer tie rods. I have some background, current plans, tools, etc. below, and some more specific questions towards the end. Please let me know your thoughts, thanks!


Background
In brevity, I found top-to-bottom play in my passenger front wheel when doing my brakes a year ago, have crawled around under the front end and seen cracked and greasy rubber boots on the ball joints (tie rods included) and have been mitigating uneven (outer) tire wear on the passenger side due to a combination of the front passenger ball joint play and an improperly installed (or sabotaged?) sway bar link.

Needless to say, I have been putting this off for long enough--so much so that I will be doing another needed repair in conjunction that I have similarly been nursing (will make another post in the appropriate section, shortly). Also, these parts could have as much as 205,000 miles on them at this point (I am the third owner, having taken over at 154,00 miles).


Parts
During the course of my procrastination I have been perusing this forum and YouTube, so I have already made certain decisions and purchases (for better or worse):

On Order
-Genuine GM upper and lower control arms from GM Parts Direct (cast iron: 25812725, 25812726, 20869201, 20869202). I spent plenty of time in @petethepug's thread about different configurations and physically checked my control arms, so I hope I got this right.
-Duralast sway bar links (half the price of Genuine GM or AC Delco, with replacement warranty)

Acquired/Received
-Kryptonite Death Grip outer tie rods (these were half the price of Genuine GM tie rods, and come with a lifetime warranty)
-Kryptonite tie rod sleeves (because, why not?)
-Dirt King Fabrication UCA alignment cams (I realize that these may increase the cost of shop alignments in the future)
-Dirt King UCA cam pins (just in case I have any problems)


Tools
As far as tools and equipment, I have the obvious (or what I think would be obvious):

-floor jack
-jack stands
-wheel chocks
-torque wrenches, sockets, wrenches, etc. (as well as people on call if I need a specific item from a box store nearby, while in the thick of things)
-penetrating spray
-various lubricants (lithium grease, silicone paste, ceramic brake parts lubricant, dielectric grease) if needed for metal-to-metal connections

I am planning to keep the old LCAs for future ball joint/bushing replacements, so I would appreciate any advice or recommendations for that process--although that is less pressing at the moment.

-I have lifetime alignment on my current tires, so I will be heading to the shop following the repair



Questions
Firstly, let me know if any of the above is off course. I have spent a good deal of time investigating options, but I have never done this before.

-Do I absolutely need a pickle fork? If so, is there a particular brand, style, or kit that is recommended?

-I am not planning on a complete rebuild of my front suspension, but would it be worth it to replace the inner tie rods during this repair job (purely based on mileage) or could I just come back for that another day--considering I can more easily assess play on the inner tie rod when the outer is removed or disconnected from the knuckle?

-Are there any tips, tricks, common pitfalls to be aware of?



Again, thanks for any advice on this!

 

[kbuskill]

I am soon to be replacing my front upper and lower control arms, as well as outer tie rods. I have some background, current plans, tools, etc. below, and some more specific questions towards the end. Please let me know your thoughts, thanks!


Background
In brevity, I found top-to-bottom play in my passenger front wheel when doing my brakes a year ago, have crawled around under the front end and seen cracked and greasy rubber boots on the ball joints (tie rods included) and have been mitigating uneven (outer) tire wear on the passenger side due to a combination of the front passenger ball joint play and an improperly installed (or sabotaged?) sway bar link.

Needless to say, I have been putting this off for long enough--so much so that I will be doing another needed repair in conjunction that I have similarly been nursing (will make another post in the appropriate section, shortly). Also, these parts could have as much as 205,000 miles on them at this point (I am the third owner, having taken over at 154,00 miles).


Parts
During the course of my procrastination I have been perusing this forum and YouTube, so I have already made certain decisions and purchases (for better or worse):

On Order
-Genuine GM upper and lower control arms from GM Parts Direct (cast iron: 25812725, 25812726, 20869201, 20869202). I spent plenty of time in @petethepug's thread about different configurations and physically checked my control arms, so I hope I got this right.
-Duralast sway bar links (half the price of Genuine GM or AC Delco, with replacement warranty)

Acquired/Received
-Kryptonite Death Grip outer tie rods (these were half the price of Genuine GM tie rods, and come with a lifetime warranty)
-Kryptonite tie rod sleeves (because, why not?)
-Dirt King Fabrication UCA alignment cams (I realize that these may increase the cost of shop alignments in the future)
-Dirt King UCA cam pins (just in case I have any problems)


Tools
As far as tools and equipment, I have the obvious (or what I think would be obvious):

-floor jack
-jack stands
-wheel chocks
-torque wrenches, sockets, wrenches, etc. (as well as people on call if I need a specific item from a box store nearby, while in the thick of things)
-penetrating spray
-various lubricants (lithium grease, silicone paste, ceramic brake parts lubricant, dielectric grease) if needed for metal-to-metal connections

I am planning to keep the old LCAs for future ball joint/bushing replacements, so I would appreciate any advice or recommendations for that process--although that is less pressing at the moment.

-I have lifetime alignment on my current tires, so I will be heading to the shop following the repair



Questions
Firstly, let me know if any of the above is off course. I have spent a good deal of time investigating options, but I have never done this before.

-Do I absolutely need a pickle fork? If so, is there a particular brand, style, or kit that is recommended?

-I am not planning on a complete rebuild of my front suspension, but would it be worth it to replace the inner tie rods during this repair job (purely based on mileage) or could I just come back for that another day--considering I can more easily assess play on the inner tie rod when the outer is removed or disconnected from the knuckle?

-Are there any tips, tricks, common pitfalls to be aware of?



Again, thanks for any advice on this!

Pickle fork isn't necessary as long as you have a small sledge hammer. You can smack the side of the knuckle where the ball joint goes through it once you have lossened the nut on the ball joint. Make sure you leave the nut threaded onto the ball joint a couple threads when you do this to keep anything from flying apart when you smack it and the ball joint releases from the knuckle.

A Pickle fork will work but it will also tear up the boots on the ball joints, although in this case it really doesn't matter since they are being replaced, it is still easier in my opinion to use the hammer technique.

 

[Charlie207]

Pickle fork isn't necessary as long as you have a small sledge hammer. You can smack the side of the knuckle where the ball joint goes through it once you have lossened the nut on the ball joint. Make sure you leave the nut threaded onto the ball joint a couple threads when you do this to keep anything from flying apart when you smack it and the ball joint releases from the knuckle.

A Pickle fork will work but it will also tear up the boots on the ball joints, although in this case it really doesn't matter since they are being replaced, it is still easier in my opinion to use the hammer technique.

He should have a pickle fork on hand for when the 2nd lower-ball joint refuses to separate from the knuckle.

OP, I'd start spraying your juice of choice onto all the nuts and bolts now so it can start doing it's job. And don't forget the C/V axle-nut if you have 4WD.

Oh, AND if you can get at the threads tucked up out of reach, for the swaybar bushing clamps on the frame. Those locations trap gunk and moisture, and will cause the (13mm?) bolts to seize up tight... and then they'll shear off.

Find an old metal coat hanger to bend up into a hook so you can hang your calipers off to the side, preventing strain on the brake lines.

Unless the inner tie-rods are bent or there's an obvious issue, just ignore them. It's a good time to check/replace your shocks if they are leaking, as they have to come out of the car to make it easy to access the upper cam bolts. (It's possible to leave the struts installed, and get the job done, but you still have to loosen all five nuts/bolts to shift the strut assembly around, so you might as well just pull the entire thing out for clearance.)

Don't do a final torque on the control arm nuts/bolts until the vehicle is firmly on the ground... leave them loose enough so that the bushings can settle/center with all the vehicle weight on the suspension.

Drink your favorite beverage and listen to music while you take pics of the adventure. Wearing gloves will preserve your knuckles, to an extent.