New front struts, LBJs, and brakes...what order should I install them?

Since we finished the timing belt yesterday. I have new struts and springs, lower ball joints and new rotors and pads to go on the front. Wondering what you guys think the best order I should install these in so that it goes as smoothly as possible. Thanks

 

So here's the thing. I know I said "It's not fun to do the UBJ". But I think I missed that you're doing the rotor, or it didn't click. The reality is, if you've got to remove the caliper anyway to replace the rotor, you're like 2-3 bolts away from being able to pull the whole knuckle - if you have ABS, there's the ABS sensor bolt, its cable clamp, and the CV axle nut. The hardest part of all this is popping the dust cap off to gain access to the nut, and having the right size socket (34mm? 35mm? if still OEM).

Sorry in advance for a long-ass post. I type really damn fast and have my old pics super organized, so this will only take 5-6 mins.

If this were me, I'd probably do the UBJ at the same time since you're tearing down so much already, like ...

• Loosen or take off the top nut on the swaybar link with the truck on the ground
• Jack and stand the truck
• Pop the wheel, dust cap, and impact off the CV axle nut
• Pop loose the UBJ castle, flip the castle nut upside down and reinstall, spin it 'til its 1 thread short of being flush (i.e. nut sitting 1mm higher than the threads) and whack it a couple times to break the UBJ free
• Remove the ABS sensor bracket, then the sensor, make sure its o-ring is intact, clean, set aside
• Remove the caliper (2 bolts), hang it safely, remove the rotor (you can put a pair of screwdrivers in the side slots at 3/9 o'clock and rock it off)
• Separate the tie rod, then remove the LBJ bolts (4 bolts)
• At this point, I think you should be able to remove the knuckle, but don't just pull it forcibly out or you may yank the CV axle out of the front diff ... instead ...
• Give a couple gentle BFH taps squarely on the end of the CV Axle to tap it inward and free it up, once it's moving, hold it in place while you pull the knuckle (I assume you've popped off UBJ castle nut again), you can set it temporarily on the LBJ but have a bungee ready to hang it when you pull the knuckle
• With the knuckle out, press out your old UBJ, press in the new
• Go back to the truck and use a puller or jack to pop out the LBJ
  
• With everything else out, it's strut time; undo its top three nuts, then the lower bolt, noting which direction it's installed - I recommend applying downward force on the LCA with your foot to take tension off the lower bolt so you don't damage the threads
• Note correct position is to install the bolt back to front (bolt head pointed to truck rear), install the new strut, and again, if you need extra room, put your foot and weight into the LCA to press it downward while you get the strut situated, install bolt correctly
• Install is basically the reverse

A couple of notes: If you choose to NOT pull the knuckle, sometimes the lower strut bolt wants to make contact with the CV boot but slightly turning the wheel so the tire's rear edge tucks inward (front edge pokes out), it'll free up the space to remove/install the nut - again, if you just pull the knuckle, this isn't an issue. On the ABS sensor, make sure the ABS sensor (if present) goes back squarely into its hole, and its o-ring is OK. Other than that I can't think of anything really special or unique. BEFORE YOU INSTALL THE WHEEL, Install three lugnuts on every other lug to lock the rotor down, then look carefully around your dust shield to make sure it's not making contact with the rotor (it's easy to accidentally bend the dust shield and it'll squeal when it touched the caliper, every time you brake, it's annoying af.

Here's some pics from my coilover install.

I used a bungee to hang my caliper because I couldn't find my damn S-hooks. Note swaybar is disco'd, caliper is off so the rotor can come free with a tap or two, the UBJ is already popped free, and I safely have the ABS sensor ($$$) tucked aaway; I'm using the stock jack to support the LCA while I'm doing my work - it's a great tool to have on-hand. Note the two screwdrivers, should be clear why those are there

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And here, knuckle is out, CV axle is temporarily resting on the LBJ, this is EXACTLY why I removed the knuckle before the LBJ, so I could use the LBJ as a platform to hold the CV axle, then bungee that CV up, then pop the LBJ.

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It's so much easier to press out the UBJ with the knuckle on the floor...

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Because if you try to press out the UBJ with the knuckle still in the truck with 4WD, this is what you're fighting against: Trying to find the space to get that big ass press on top of the knuckle, without yanking the CV axle out, with the knuckle bungeed, it fucking sucks.

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This is why the direction of the lower strut bolt is important - this picture shows it installed backwards, with the tip pointed toward the boot. While it may not make contact with the boot in "normal" situations, I wouldn't trust it to not make contact in all situations. Although I do know a few on here have it installed backwards and it hasn't happened, I wouldn't personally do it, stick with OEM.

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Lastly, here's a pic of bungee'ing the CV axle to keep it safe. I think all of thse shots were from the same side, but ... hopefully pics help.

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I'll have to watch a couple videos to get more familiar with the process but what special tools do I need? @shifty`

Are you just recommending I do this because I'll have it mostly apart already?

 

Basically, yeah. You could totally skip the UBJ and the job will be like 40% smaller.

I mean, having an impact on hand to loosen stuff is nice.

If you plan to remove the knuckle, you'll need a 35mm (assuming OEM CVs) to free its nut.

I carefully used a pickle fork to separate my tie rod end from the LBJ, I think? Then a pitman arm puller to pop the LBJ out of the LCA. The Orion (OMT) brand 5-in-1 ball joint separator kit comes with every puller you'd need. Black circle to separate tie rod end. Yellow supposedly works great for UBJ. Green is basically a pitman arm puller, which should work for the LBJ.

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If you plan to pop out the UBJ, you'll need a kit, any of the 21pc kits out there should technically have what you need. The kits usually have a big mouth c-clamp w/arbor, one or two cups that fit into the clamp and its arbor, and several cylinder/sleeves that fit inside the edge of the cup. It helps to watch a video.

Video-wise, look, I don't agree with Josh's way of doing things, but this is the video I usually go back to for suspension overhaul on a 1st gen. The work really isn't that hard if you've ever replaced a set of struts in a vehicle with IFS before. It's just tedious. Oh and torque specs are in the FSM, there's also a thread around here with all that info you'll need.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=S2unFVNRry8​

 

Sorry I'm confused with the five piece kit and the 21 piece kit you mentioned. Do I need both? Are any of these loaners from AutoZone or O'Reilly?

 

You may be able to get both on loan from your local store. Other people have the kit parts numbers on-hand, the specific kit numbers, I've seen them posted but I usually just gloss over them because I have stuff.

Understand, I've been wrenching a long time. I can't recall the last time I had to borrow/rent a tool from the LAPS, and my kits are mostly pretty old (some of them aren't even kits, they came as individual pieces), before outsourcing everything to mainland China was a thing, back when tools were made in Taiwan and still quality. To that point, I can't direct you to what I'm using (you'd be lucky to find it used on fleaBay), I can only look at what Harbor Freight and scAmazon have for kits, and point you to those.

I will tell you: Both the kits I just mentioned are less than $100 combined, both appear to be around $40-45/ea. If you plan on doing front-end work on your truck, it may be worthwhile just to buy the kits.