front end rebuild question

[juggernaut]

hi guys

I'm new to this forum. I bought a 2001 Tahoe LS with 169k on it about 4 months ago one issue is I have no idea what was done to it and what wasnt. the hoe seems to be bone stock except for the shocks they are not the OEM I believe. the truck has been great and I have had fun replacing things on it. so far I have replaced the water pump and fan clutch along with other minor things.

the issue is I need to take care of is my front end and the rear as money permits. I am wondering what I need to replace and what I dont. I know all the bushings and bump stops are bad because the are cracked and rotted bad. I was looking for a kit and there are many but I am leaning towards the Moog kit from rockauto linked below. there are so many kits with various parts it's hard to determine which kit is going to give me the most parts and what I need.


http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=5647077&cc=1371620&jnid=445&jpid=1

my question is it necessary to replace the upper and lower control arm? also would it be better to just do it because I have to change out the bushings for both as it is. also if that kit is a good idea what else would I need parts wise? I do plan on changing out the pitman arms, idler arms and so on. my plan is to do it all at once and get a realignment one time. please help me out her because this is a lot of money for me but I amore than willing to do it. I will be changing out many things as time goes on but this is something that needs to be done very soon I think

thank you

 

[southboundchicken]

Unless you have a floor press to replace the bushings in the control arms buying new arms with ball joints already installed is going to be the easiest time efficient way to go.

 

[juggernaut]

thanks for the tip

 

[juggernaut]

can anyone else please give some advice.

 

[Larryjb]

Do you know those parts (ball joints, control arm bushings, tie rods, pitman arms, etc need replacing? If so, yes I'd replace those. If so, get the ACDelco professional pitman arm, not any other brand. Not even the ACDelco economy version. They don't fit the same way on the steering gear.

Once you replace all those, check your ride height in the front before getting the alignment. There are specs for this, and it is easy to adjust. You should be able to adjust it with the stock suspension. If your ride height in the front is low, it will reduce the castor and reduce the on-center feel. Raising the ride height to stock should correct this. It made a difference for me anyway.

Larry

 

[juggernaut]

Hi Larry,

thank you for that. I do know some of the part need to be replaced. I will check the ones I am not sure about before replacing them. I just thought it might be good to do it all seeing as I don't know about the history of the truck. I did buy a Chilton's manual for the Tahoe. will this have the spec for the ride height spec? I saw a thread some where on how to measure that and I will be sure to do so. also thank you for the info on the AC Delco pitman arms. I remembered from previous reading that people were having problems with all the other pitman arms. is the kit I linked a good starting point?

thank you

 

[Larryjb]

If you need to replace the control arms, then for sure, do the tie rods, idler and pitman arms. They're cheap at that point. If you search around my posts, you'll find my thread on the pitfalls I ran into and how I solved them.

As for the kit from RockAuto, that seems to have half of what you need anyway. I've never done control arms, and the only ball joint I had go bad was one that was installed by a shop. (That was a horror story....) When I had to replace that ball joint, it wasn't necessary to do the entire control arm.

I just remembered that you may want to change your stabilizer endlinks. They're covered with a plastic cover so you can't see that the metal rod inside is rusted and ready to break.

Here's the link to the ACDelco Professional pitman arm: http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=355413&cc=1371620

Don't get the ACDelco Advantage. It's way cheaper, but it won't fit the same.

For ride height, search for "Chevrolet Z height" if you haven't already.

Larry

 

[Larryjb]

This link may be useful. It sure helped me a lot. It's an annoying site, it's got an annoying way to make you want to pay and subscribe.... but it's good. This is for 2002, but probably not any different from your 2001.

http://workshop-manuals.com/chevrol...ations/ride/trim_height_inspection_procedure/

Larry

 

[juggernaut]

Larry,

thank you very much for that helpful info. I really appreciate you taking the time to write all of that info and share your knowledge with me.

 

[kebm]

I just replaced the sway bar mount bushings on my chrysler pacifica with a polyurethane greasable set from Energy Suspension. It made a big difference over the oem rubber ones. I plan to get the kit (new mounting bushings and end links with bushings) for my Yukon as well.

 

[abishoff]

When you do the pitman and idler arm, you can use the support brackets to keep them lasting longer and provide a nicer feel. I got mine from cognito Motorsports and I've really enjoyed the ride.


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[quest51210]

Proforged suspension stuff is nice and stout

 

[number9]

I had all 4 balljoints replaced in my Yukon this past summer. I wish I would have just replaced the whole A-arm, prob would have been cheaper / same price and would have new A-arm bushings in them to boot.

 

[kebm]

When you do the pitman and idler arm, you can use the support brackets to keep them lasting longer and provide a nicer feel. I got mine from cognito Motorsports and I've really enjoyed the ride.


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Right after new idler and pitman arms were installed on mine, I put the cognito pitman and idler brace kit on as well. I was going to recommend it, but looking at the web site for cognito I did not see a kit for 1500 series trucks or suvs?

 

[abishoff]

Right after new idler and pitman arms were installed on mine, I put the cognito pitman and idler brace kit on as well. I was going to recommend it, but looking at the web site for cognito I did not see a kit for 1500 series trucks or suvs?

This is what is on my 06 Denali XL
http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/c...k.html#product_tabs_installation_instructions


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[bottomline2000]

This is what is on my 06 Denali XL
http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/c...k.html#product_tabs_installation_instructions


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Did u notice a difference after installing the kit?

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[abishoff]

Did u notice a difference after installing the kit?

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My steering was fairly sloppy when I replaced the pitman and idler arm. I can say afterwards, it was very tight and précis however, I expect that would always be the case when installing new pitman and idler arms. The point for me was that I don't want to do it again and the cognito kit is supposed to support them better so that the pitman and idler arm last significantly longer.


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[Larryjb]

Has anyone used this on a 6 nut wheel? http://www.exaxt.ca/steering_assenbly.asp

I'm assuming it will not fit. From this thread

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/76...ther-pitman-arm-failure-cognito-braces-3.html

it appears some had trouble with the cognito kit. However, it sounds as if it was being used on a heavier duty application (8-nut wheel).

Larry

 

[crabbman]

Are the IAAUTO PARTS front end kits any good? They have tons of different kits and seem to be low price. Just wondering where a good place to shop. Auto Zone and Oreillys do not have kits at all. Never have bought at ROCK AUTO.
Just wondering?
Yes I need to do my daughters 2002 GMC YUKON SLT FRONT END NEXT SUMMER.
Thank you.