Help with front end steering / suspension

[Synthetickiller]

Been running the smaller rare parts/Dmax for about I think four or five years. They recalled them about a month into them. Replaced them, and pretty sure you have seen the trails we have run here. No issues at all

Gotcha. That's good to hear.
Down here in Louisiana, we have mud & some trails. That's it. Rocks don't exist in this State unless you make your way to the boarder of Arkansas & I'm sitting on the Gulf, 8 hours away.
You guys out in Cali & the west coast in general has much better terrain to crawl over & push your vehicles. I'll get stuck in mud before I break a tie rod, most likely.

 

[Big2dabank]

As many of us know, "Luck favors the prepared!" Whatever part you decide to go with, you should be more than fine.

I didn't realize you were in south Louisiana. I grew up hunting and fishing in the swamps and marshes of south Louisiana.

 

[Synthetickiller]

As many of us know, "Luck favors the prepared!" Whatever part you decide to go with, you should be more than fine.

I didn't realize you were in south Louisiana. I grew up hunting and fishing in the swamps and marshes of south Louisiana.

Well hot damn!
You were up around New Orleans or real far down?

 

[Big2dabank]

I am a coonass for sure. I was born and raised in Gonzales and my family had a couple of camps, one in Cocodrie, one in Venice, and another along the Amite River near lake Maurepas. Also spent plenty of time getting into trouble in Nola, especially at Nick's Bar. My wife and I still have plenty of family scattered around from Nola up the River Road to Gonzales.

How bout you, transplant or native?


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[Synthetickiller]

I am a coonass for sure. I was born and raised in Gonzales and my family had a couple of camps, one in Cocodrie, one in Venice, and another along the Amite River near lake Maurepas. Also spent plenty of time getting into trouble in Nola, especially at Nick's Bar. My wife and I still have plenty of family scattered around from Nola up the River Road to Gonzales.

How bout you, transplant or native?


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I moved here when I was 4. I'm an adopted coonass. Can't leave either. My stomach won't let me. The food is just too damn good.
I'm on the northshore, so not that far down. I spend a ton of time in NOLA & gulf coast MS, but not much further down. Cocodrie & Venice, damn, talk about out there. Now wonder you hunted & fished. That's some prime real estate for game.

Not sure how long you've been gone, but if it's been for over 10 years, things have changed. I doubt a lot of the spots you fished & hunted in are the same or even there.

 

[Synthetickiller]

This week has been crazy, so I still haven't ordered much.
I got in the highroller idler arm. This thing is a beast. It needs paint, but that's not very expensive & a custom color would be cool, even if I'm the only one to appreciate it.
For $100, I can't complain. I'd prefer no rust & all surfaces be smoothed over (just as a sign of quality more than anything else). Kind of amazed more people didn't buy these. Kryptonite ripped of the design & made the death grip. $100 vs $300 was a no brainer. To my knowledge, the original msrp for this idler arm was $275 & dropped to $125.

 

[Big2dabank]

Nice piece of hardware, but it sucks to remove and install the pitman. I had to drop the entire steering gear assembly to get a puller onto the pitman. It was a major pain in the ass.

 

[Synthetickiller]

I finally bought everything (Kryptonite UCAs & tie rods, high roller idler arm & moog pitman), but unfortunately had to have a mechanic I know install everything. The weather is impossible to deal with & I can't spare that much time. He said the pitman was a nightmare. I'll post a pic of it, or what's left. There's something about the 08/09s that every part fits a bit tighter. I never had these issues w/ the 03.

The UCAs do not have mounting holes for the break lines on the top and bottom; only bottom. It's easy to mod the retainer clip, but it's something to know.

I still have to get the idler arm support bracket welded to the frame before I can get that installed... It's on hold for a while.
For now, I'm thinking of replacing the bushings & ball joint on the LCA. I was considering getting the Kryptonite LCAs, but $900, no powder coat & probably 2 months of wait time is hard to swallow. Kryptonite now states it will fit the H2. I'm not sure what benefits they provide. At least the UCA has a better mount for the ball joint. $200 would cover all bushings & ball joints for the existing LCA. That's probably the best option.

I'll get some pics up once the weather clears.

 

[Synthetickiller]

Like Big2 said... what a pain!

 

[Big2dabank]

I am not a foul mouth by any means, but there was some serious cussing and f bombs dropped during the removal of my pitman arm, so i remember it vividly. Glad you got if installed.


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[Synthetickiller]

Not that you will, but if you ever decide to move to an 08/09, realize that working on them is annoying as hell. Love mine to death, but some of the parts were installed with liquid nails or something because nothing ever wants to move without a ton of brute force.

I took a test drive around coast MS yesterday & put about 100 miles on it for the total trip. Strange, strange day. Very foggy (I've never seen fog on the coast during the day), the sun looked like the moon creeping out from behind passing clouds. I could stare at the sun. That is how thick the fog was.

Anyways, it reaffirmed that I need to at least replace the bushings & ball joints on the LCAs. I don't think I can justify $900 for LCAs. The kryptonites look bulletproof, but that's just too much money.
The only benefit i can find, which isn't bad, is weight reduction. The UCAs are very light. I when I picked them up, I was shocked. They feel like they are half the weight. I doubt I'd get the same benefit as weight reduction in a car, but I guess all things add up... It makes me wonder if these are worth it whenever moving to a diesel to help carry the added 300 to 400 lbs.

 

[Synthetickiller]

Here's some pics of the parts & shots of them installed.
Kryptonite UCAs & Tie Rods:

Moog Pitman Arm:

SS175 Pitman Arm support (not installed, yet)

Shots of UCAs installed:

LCAs up next after January (my wallet needs a break). I'm really tempted to swap out the CV Joints, but they have no problems, dispute the mileage. Same with the wheel hubs.
Other than the pitman arm support, I can't think of much else that needs to be done, suspension wise.

 

[fnfal308]

You can find the Timken Hubs cheaper at other sources, the last set I did were just over $150 each after shipping and the repair is very easy. I am not sure what DMAX does different with the Kryptonite series Timken hubs, but Rock auto currently has the Timken Hub for $131, which is about what I paid and I have had great success with them.

Looks like just the warranty is Kryptonite ,,,
"(Kryptonite Lifetime warranty)- Now available for Dmaxstore customers purchasing genuine Timken wheel bearings. Dmaxstore will replace any failed wheel bearing purchased from us as long as you own the vehicle. For replacement please call or email for shipping instructions prior to warranty claim. New replacement bearings will be shipped UPS ground when failed unit is received, shipping is additional."