Got hit in Albany, NY

[DiscoDaze]

I got hit on the left front wheel in Albany by some crazy PWT chick. Bent the steering linkages and trashed the ball joints. Limped home at 40 mph swerving all over I-95. I bought new Terra Firma steering rods and upper and lower ball joints from Rovers North. I have a set of ball joint tools from harbor Freight.
Do I need to pull the axels out in order to work the ball joints or can I leave them in?
If I have to pull them out then I should buy new axel seals as well.
Has anyone on the forum done this job before? Any pit falls?

Disco Daze

[DiscoDaze]

Ok. The new ball joints came in the mail from Rovers North. New nylock nuts not provided. Call RN. All the could tell me was that they are M14 for the uppers & M16 for the lowers. Went to the tractor store for new nylocks but no luck. They are not the standard course x 2.0 thread pitch. Call AB......they don't know the thread pitch.......called the dealer and they don't know either. Does anyone know what the thread pitches are for the uppers and lowers? Maybe I can buy new nuts at Grangers or McMaster-Carr.

[Frank84]

Not sure on the thread pitch - got a caliper? Easy to measure and figure it out if you have the new ball joints in hand.

[DiscoDaze]

I'm pretty sure but not completely sure they are M14 x 1.5 and M16 x 1.5. I've ordered them in 316L stainless. For the past 5 years I've replaced all the hard ware on every job that I've done with high grade 316L. The next owner will have an easy go of it or there will be a lot of stainless steel in the junk yard.

[DiscoDaze]

Finished the ball joints this weekend and installed the new TeraFirma track rod & drag link. Needed two x 10 hour days to complete. The old ball joints came out hard. Considered using heat but did not need to. My Harbor Freight ball joint tool broke in half and I had to go to AutoZone to rent one. New ball joints went in fairly easy. Hardest part was loosening the old hardware (14 years old) most of it was getting replaced anyway, so I cut everything I could with a grinder and a cutting disc. Not a job that I would want to do again. All I need now is a front end alignment.

Next Up:
1. XYZ Switch rebuild. WD40 is not working any more.
2. New Exhaust system including CATs.


I noticed that there is a lot of lash in the front end drive train. With both front wheel off the ground I could turn the wheels and feel the looseness in the front Diff. How much lash should there be in the front diff gears? It seemed overly loose to me but I have never checked it be fore so I don't know what is acceptable.

[Frank84]

Nice work! I'm not sure how much is allowable, but there can be quite a bit on these trucks.

[DiscoDaze]

The saga is not over. I've noticed a hard spot in the steering and it is getting worse. The truck is parked for now. I think the steering box may be damaged from the hit in Albany. The steering rods and ball joints are all new. Can the steering box be re-built or should I buy a used one from Rover Land Parts?
I noticed that the power steering system hoses are very expensive. Is there another more reasonable source out there for hoses?
I will not be doing any wheeling until this is worked out. I hope to have this fixed by January so that I can go back to the NJ Pine Barrens with Ed T. for the 2014 "Sand & Snow"

[Frank84]

Might be the steering box but I'd check for a bent steering damper first if you think there is a chance it got hit or tweaked. Try removing it and see if the hardspot goes away.

[DiscoDaze]

I will give that a try tomorrow. Thanks.

[DiscoDaze]

I took the steering damper off and tried it. No change. I am going to buy a new steering actuator from Rover Land Parts and install it once the snow melts.