Hey everybody, my first post here, already something to fix on this chevy. Just picked it up for a good price, needed more room to haul the kids around. Here is the problem whenever the front suspension has to move it lets out a squeek, it is comming from drivers front, also i can hear the ball joint clunk when i have the steering maxed turning going from fwd to rev and vive versa, i understand that these are bad at having the ball joint go. One other thing is going around a corner you can feel slop when turning, almost like it should turn here but it doesnt, kinda wanders driving as well not to horrible though, im thinking thats tie rods, inner our outer i dont know it happens turning both directions. Im gonna jack her up today and take a closer look, anything else i should look at while she is jacked up,

 

Look for wear marks around the pitman and idler arms. But youre probably spot on with the tie rods ends.

 

Depending on the mileage of the vehicle and how long you plan on keeping it, I'd replace the whole steering assembly with high quality parts. I did mine about 10k miles ago and it felt so much better. I used Power Performance parts which are the best quality parts you can find for our trucks. They're a little more pricey than other parts, but the reason is explained in this link. Also, you're supporting small business. Zack Kanter, who I believe owns the business, actually answers the phone himself and is very helpful.

http://www.powerperformancemotorspor...productId=1765

 

i need to replace everything in mine this spring.. upper and lower ball joints, tie rods, pitman, idler, etc... $500 is a little steep...

im assumingautozone and other autoparts stores carry the cheap OEM replacements??

 

If you only plan to drive on the street, you can pick up the kit with upper/lower balljoints, inner/outer tie rod ends, adjuster sleeves, pitman arm, idler arm on ebay for $140-180. It's supposed to be oem quality. If you are planning on doing any trail riding or future lift, I'd invest in the good stuff, and go with the PP set.