I was given a 91 S10 Blazer which runs pretty good now, but the front suspension is shot. Going over bumps is painful. All I hear the entire ride is grinding and "bumping" noises. Also the tires wear excessively on the outward facing side. They sort of point at an angle like\ / but just not quite that bad. Any idea what to start with? My father in law suggested that the "a-frame bushings" needed to be replaced but I've only worked on unibodies before.

 

I'd start with checking the ball joints, control arm bushings (both upper & lower), tie rod ends, pitman arm, and idler arm as well.

 

What am I looking for? Leaking grease, ripped bushings? What would failed tie rod ends look like?

 

More feeling. If anything feels loose, then replace it. The lower ball joints can be checked by jacking up the truck and supporting it on jack stands, then using a long 2x4 placed under the tire prying up. If you hear/feel a clunk, the ball joint is bad. The upper ball joints can be checked with the wheels off. Pull up on the upper control arm, again feeling for play.

The control arm bushings can be visually inspected, If the rubber looks like it has expanded out, is badly cracked, and/or has chunks missing from it, then that bushing would need to be replaced. If you are going to do one bushing, replace them all. They typically come in a set. An alignment will need to be performed after the bushings have been replaced.

With the steering components, again, these can be checked by pushing/pulling on the components. If any play is felt, replace the component. As with the suspension bushings, an alignment will need to be performed after the replacement of any steering component.

 

Thanks, I'll check it out.