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Where to start when it needs everything


Tn95rbn
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Start with the worst ones and strategize so you're not taking the same stuff apart twice. Stuff like the strut rods, sway bar bushings, and shocks can be gotten to pretty easily. If the front control arm bushings need doing, you're pulling a lot of stuff apart at once, so you might as do as much as you can while it's in pieces.

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one word. 

 

allignment.

 

start with all parts involved with your allignment at the same time. get it alligned and then work on the other stuff. 

if your tires are good . if your tires are in bad shape then you can do the alignment last. but changing all of your bad parts with good parts can make your allignment worse until you get it done. 

the parts that can effect your alignment are

upper and lower control arm bushings

centerlink, inner and outer tie rods, adjusters and idler arm

upper and lower ball joints

inner and outer wheel bearings.

 

I just went through all of this.

 

edit:  btw  shocks while they may not affect the alignment can ruin new tires if they are bad. best replace them before new tires, if your tires are good right now you can replace the shocks without needing re-alignment

 

Almost forgot, Torsion bars will also effect your alignment, especially if one of them starts to weaken and cause one side to sag.

Edited by msavides
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Thanks for the input y'all. Amazingly even with rotten bushings the alignment isn't as bad as you'd think.A gradual drift to the right but nothing you really have to fight.

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the 1994 I just rebuilt the front end on, was not that bad either,  however the upper control arm busshings were completely trashed, the wheel bearings were loose and the center link had quite a bit of play. The tires were about done.  I thought maybe that the light pull was just tires, I took it in for an alignment before the new tires. that is when they told me about the bearings and the UCA bushings. 

 

I figured since I was into it I would do it all. It was not that bad since most of the items were on clearance at rock auto.

 

sometimes a vehicle will steer fine, all the while are wearing out your tires unevenly.

 

a quick check of your tire wear pattern will tell you that though

 

rotting bushings can make your car go quickly out of alignment at any time though.

Edited by msavides
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Its amazing the effect new sway bar bushings had.The steering felt super loose...two simple bushings and it stiffened the wheel up significantly. Still have to do the ends but it's a great start. 

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Replaced driver side strut rod bushings.. No rust but breaking them loose was rough.about to finish other one..hopefully it'll go a little faster.

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Strut rod bushings installed on both sides. About to go check that they haven't loosened since install.No torque wrench..but tight as f@#k seems about right. Things hadn't moved since they spoke Japanese.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Endlink bushings up front helped the steering even more.A 99 r50 had great OE fog lights mounted.The bracket were there as well but didn't seem like they'd fit around the Wd21 bumper insert so just took the light housings and fabbed up some brackets.Not sure if I want them wired independently of the other lights or splice them into the low beam wiring.. @ 2x 55w they put out a descent amount of light on there own.

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Don't splice them straight into the low beam wiring, the headlight wires are tiny and the contacts in the switch are a weak point as-is. Factory fogs were wired with a relay, triggered by the low beam circuit, with a switch interrupting that--so the fogs only come on if the low beams and the switch are both on. I had a couple 55W Hellas on mine for a while. Nice and bright, driving lights rather than fogs though. I angled them out a bit to light up the hoof rats lurking in the shadows. Figures I hit one in broad daylight and broke one of the lights. :doh:

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Appreciate the input.Think I'm going to hook up a relay and switch with a 15a inline fuse.The factory light wiring is ridiculously thin,not sure how it's lasted this long.maybe one day I'll go through and upgrade it all.

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