I did that a few times, but grew tired of having to go pay inside because the card reader at the pump was for “members” only. Read more

Hell yes. Read more

Good to know. I don’t see many of the final-year second gens come around. Are the 3rd gen rear brakes the same? Read more

Yes, and thanks for the tip on that! I dumped the bottle out and it wasn’t very full so someone must have stayed on top of it. Read more

Thanks! Nope, no cracks. It must be a shadow from all the dirt or something. Read more

Thank you! I loved (love? it’s getting better...) that show, and I really miss its roots of buying a cheap car, making numerous yet inexpensive repairs, and selling it for, well, cheap. Read more

Daaaang...just when I thought an oil change was pricey on this! Read more

They’re grade 8 bolts if I recall, they come supplied with the new ball joints. Read more

I did inspect them, and they were fine! The control arms must have been replaced sometime during the life of the truck. In the future, the bushings will be easy compared to the ball joints. Read more

Dang, I’m sorry to hear that. Many comments here have been recommending the use of the MOOG complete control arms. However, if you look closely, the ball joints used in those assemblies are not equivalent to the individually packaged MOOG ball joints (lacking zerk fittings, still riveted in, etc.). I have to wonder if… Read more

Someday, I will get an oxy-acetylene torch! Read more

I did see those MOOG control arms on RockAuto, but if I remember correctly, they didn’t have the grease zerk fittings in the ball joints. And on top of that - they were still riveted in. I have to question that they were in fact the same quality of MOOG components that I ended up installing. Read more

It’s little details like that which can really take a project into following day. Read more

Maybe - but what quality of ball joints are in those control arms? I did price out MOOG arms, and it certainly wasn’t just $200 more. Read more

True! It is one of the benefits of going with a name-brand manufacturer like MOOG. Read more

I started off trying to grind them down, but it came at the expense of accidentally hacking up the control arm. And there wasn’t enough room for grinding on some of the rivets. Honest-I tried! Read more

I started off with that method, and then quickly realized there wasn’t enough room, especially without hacking up the control arm. I mean, maayyybe a Dremel cutoff wheel might have fit? But, at that point, drilling is faster and less expensive. Read more

Torque specs are specified in the instructions that come with new ball joints. Read more

That was my first car! 1985 Corolla sedan, 5 speed, in white with the black plastic bumpers. I remember you either had to choose between A/C or acceleration. Parents bought it new, and eventually it was handed down to my brother, and then me. I definitely miss it. Read more

Let’s see here...Dodge Ram + car trailer + 300ZX + CBR900RR(s) + a week off of work. Read more