I would like to do my front end on my 68 Bird.Looking for the best way. Replace all the bushings and ball joints or I'm told they sell new upper and lower control arms that i could replaces.
For the effort it takes to tear the front end down, installing new bushings in the old control arms is a walk in the park. If you upgrade to urethane bushings, will ride less hash on urethane bushings than on factory rubber; also, it wll increase cornering ability.
You might as well replace all articulating parts because it's such a pita job to begin with. It's expesive as hell! I had about $800 wrapped up in mine when I was finished, but it's well worth it because you will not belive the difference it makes
800 was just parts maybe I'm missing something.. I called Summit to get Moog parts they said around 250 without changing the pitman arm. Cause I have a V8 in the car but the pitman arm on the car looks like the one from a 6 cyc.
My bad. You have an 8; I have a 9, and I never should have mentioned prices. The outer tie rods for mine cost almost as much as your total quote. Check it out.
You asked about replacing the bushings versus buying new control arms. When you compare the effort involved in tearing down and assembling the front suspension, it’s ZERO effort to install new bushings in the control arms, so there is no advantage to replacing the control arms. Also, you already have tried-and-true high-integrity metal in the existing control arms, and it’s anybody’s guess how aftermarket parts compare in the quality of metal.
Inspect the lower control arms for hairline cracks before replacing bushings. The LCA supports the front end weight of the vehicle in our case (and some other GMs) and can fatigue over time.
If you do find a crack, it's best to replace them. If you're not concerned about originality there are several aftermarket LCAs that add more positive caster for improved straight line tracking as well as some cornering benefits. Will slightly increase steering effort, but as long as you have power steering that's actually an improvement (ours are very overboosted IMO).
