Man am I getting discouraged....

[1968 C-10Cowboy]

I took my 68 to a good front end mechanic of mine and its plum wore out....$680.00 worth of parts and labor. Upper and lower ball joints, pitman arm, lower bushings, and idler arm. WOW thats just about the whole front end other than tie rods....This $1000.00 Project truck is kinda nickle and diming me to death!
Any encouraging input would be greatly appreciated......
I think Im going to tackle the front end on my own. I priced the parts at $125.00 without power steering pump and alignment.

[Longhorn Man]

That is a pretty big nickle and dime there, but I know what your talking about...we all do.
It kinda sounds to me like you've never done any work of this caliber. If this is the case, get a good book, with good ilistrations, and have a buddy that has done it either with you, or a phone call away. You may as well clean up all those greasy grimy gopher guts up while you have them off...heck, a coat of black paint will make it look even better, and give you a sence of acomplishment too.
Just my .02
It's not hard work...mentally, just time consuming and very messy.
May as well replace the tie rod ends too while your in there...otherwise it'd kinda be like taking a shower and putting on dirty underwear.
Do it all and do it right, and it'll last another 30 years.

[1968 C-10Cowboy]

Thanks for the input Longhorn. At least I dont feel like Im the only one doing a factory re-furbish on my truck!

[ThreeQuarter]

And after you've done all that work yourself, you'll definitely appreciate your truck more. You'll better understand how everything works and you'll find yourself slowing down to hit dips/curbs/potholes. Worth the time & effort doing it yourself. Pride in your ride.

[Longhorn Man]

If your pockets are deep enough, this is an ideal time to upgrade some items...even if it is just a daily driver. Items like a sway bar if not equopped, a bigger sway bar if you do have it already, poly bushings will last longer than you or I will ever live, ect.
Also, don't expect this to be a one day job, and you'll want all the proper tools, to include the BFH before you start...esp if this is your only driver.

[crews]

LOL @ gmcblu.....




Spoken like a true mechanic!!!
Isn't it amazing how much THOUGHT will go into avoiding stuff once you have figured out it's YOU who will have to fix it if you break it!! I know when i have torn down my cars and finally gotten them back on the road, I just don't seem to drive with reckless abandon any longer...LOL!!!!

[WHYBYNU]

Hang in there! Here is a good thing to remember we all have been there and thats why a web sight like this is awsome we are here to help. Try this get one of the mech. off to the side and offer him a couple of bills to do the job at your house you never know he might hook you up and save you alot of money a couple evenings and he could be done and he made some money you saved some money and you got a new frontend nobody loses. It has worked for me now I have my very own in house mech. when I need him to work on somthing I give him a call. I have saved a ton of money and my truck is at home and not at some garage being test drove by all the guys there.

[Longhorn Man]

Good Idea.
And when he takes one side apart, you can clean and paint it all as he removes the other side.

[68 with 350 TPI]

My advise is that you just take your time and you will get what you want in the end.

Until then go for some instant gratifcation and get a cold beer out of the box

[67cst]

i had a toyota landcruiser, put about 5 grand into it and the engine died on me last winter...being young and not having good cash flow i had tosell it, bought a fkin k car and drove that thing...i planned on getting a truck in the spring but im still in the k car for a couple more months...but the 71 should be done by sept so thats cool, i guess what im trying to say is be pacient, work hard and keep your chin up..all things come to those who wait

[WORNBRAKES]

I had the same thing happen to me when I bought my truck. Test driving it at 50 mph i didn't notice the front end. But driving it the 100 miles home at 70 mph I noticed it. I was in the same boat. Went and got the FREE estimate a few days later and from there went straight to my favorite part store and ordered all the parts, tools, and a trusty Haynes manual. I had never done it before but I just followed the steps in the book and when I was all done I took it for an alignment. I watched them do the alignment and to my suprise, when I pre measured the tie rods and did my own self alignment, I was not far off. You will find(like many of us have) that you will run into a few things like this. Just take them one at a time. And when in doubt, come to the computer and ask the folks on here and it will all come together then.

[Brad]

Yep, when I first bought my truck I never intended to fix it up and spend so much darn money! This was gonna be my beater that I didn't care if it got rear-ended or hit. I just couldn't bare to drive my Camaro for fear of it getting hit again.
First, right off the bat I replaced the motor (almost 100,000 mi mark soon).
Next, I replaced the transmission (3 spd @ $800 and 3 days in shop-boy did I get hosed on that one!)
Next, replaced gears in rear end because they had chpped.
I had spent so much money by this point that I could no longer consider it a beater; it was virtually brand new underneath.
Finally, a few years ago I replaced the entire front end and upgraded with disk brakes. Well, not finally-I have added HEI, Weber carb, plug wires, new long box, lowered it, rear springs, you get the idea.... Good luck

[1968 C-10Cowboy]

All your inputs are very encouraging and Im thankful for this website. My front end has already been transfered to the disk system and 5 lug all around. Whoever this mechanic guy was who had it before spent alot of time and money. The truck is really in good shape considering the 1/2 @#& crap and damage this youngster I bought it from did to it. Anyway...I will keep all ya'll posted on my progress and thanks again!

[johnnyp]

Yea, don't you just hate how these trucks keep getting in your wallet. Think I'll just buy a new truck, then I wouldn't be putting all this money in repairs. Just think, for only $500 every month in truck payments, I'd have a worry-free truck!

Hmmm. . . maybe not.

[Paul Clark]

Try this. Might cheer you up.
Go pick out a brand new truck that you would like. Figure out what your monthly payments would be.
Put that much money into your truck every month.
Bet your old truck would be "new" long before you paid off the new truck. Plus, the new one would be depreciating in value big-time, while the value of yours would be going up.
Go for it.

[COBALT]

I'm about in the same spot as you right now. I"ve spent the last year (1 year as of July 4th) fixing every mechanical thing I could find. I started with basic stuff like hardware for the doors, steering wheel, etc. to get it drivable, but I soon graduated to the driveline, the wheel bearings, brakes....

Now one year later I've got it perfectly tuned with a rebuilt carburetor and ignition. The driveline has new U-joints, and the differential has been rebuilt. New brakes, and I have a new intake manifold that's going in at the end of the month. Pretty good progress for knowing exactly squat when I started.

Always look back at your accomplishments and how things were BEFORE you started. That'll give you a boot in the butt to keep going.

As for front end do as longhornmail said and do it right and do it ONCE. I'm buying a complete performance rebuild kit from PST (non-poly for now) to do it right (About $250 for parts). Even if an old part looks marginal it's getting tossed. Every bushing is getting replaced. I want this suspension to feel like the truck just rolled off the lot.

It all depends on how much you wanna spend. Prioritize.

[Baradium]

good luck with it

[Pumkin Truck]

When you try to restore anything many factors come into play such as frustration, patience and money. If you decied to tackle this project by yourself, expect to see frustration, nothing ever goes along as planned in mechanics. Like everyone mentioned above, crack open a cold one. Everyone already told you about the many different ways to save money, but remember, you get what you paid for. Lastly, have patience. Not everyone in here can afford to have their truck fixed by someone else. I for one sure cannot being a college student therefore i only can afford to fix my truck little at a time. It has taken me 9 months just to give my truck a valve job and install disks.(I know, I know) I go to work and college with no time to work on the truck. I need the patience, we all do. I hate leaving to school and passing my truck as i leave the house and seeing it just...there. Good luck.
pumpkin truck.

[guypm]

You can do it. When I bought my 71 a few years ago, i was in the same boat. I bought all the parts and did it myself. First time i ever replaced all the front end parts before. I had to burn off the lower ball joint with a torch. Had to borrow the torch. I also borrowed a pitman arm puller and had the lower ball joints pressed back on. It took a couple a days, but man what an education and sense of satisfaction when i was done. I brought it in for an alignment when i was done and it has been driving straight ever since.
GO FOR IT
Guy

[Paul Clark]

I could go check for myself, but I'm working on the truck so I hope I'm forgiven.
You guys that have been here awhile - are there some good posts on the "suspension" page that could help out? Going to have to do this myself someday. Those front springs scare me a little.
Once you get the front end done, can I ask you for advice, and probably a lot of encouragement?

[72Lester]

Go for it yourself, if it comes down to puttin' it back together and it won't work right call for help. As long as you don't get like me and start swingin' a sledge to make it fit better, it can always be redone :p My other suggestion is to borrow another car to drive and take some time to do it. If you see it as this huge project that needs to be done in one evening, then it'll be harder to convince yourself to do it. I also agree with the above suggestions to do some cleaning and painting while you are at it. This'll force you to take it slower so that you can work one crisis at a time. Plus you'll have an awesome lookin' truck when it's done.

[71402BB]

Yes good luck! if you have a friend with a torch invite him over and have him cut off the rivets on those ball joints (lot easier this way and a lot less work!) also if do plan on degreasing and painting to make look pretty I would like to recommend a case of brake clean! I know it sounds funny but I swear brake clean is the best damn degreaser I have ever used! better then anything else that is actully made just to degrease!

[Longhorn Man]

As for the springs, i place a floor jack under the lower A-arm, and jack it up. (truck on a brick...I mean jack stand ) And then seperate the ball joint. I won't say how I've been forced to do that in the past...it isn't the safest way...but the jack held the spring pressure, and I slowly lowered it,a nd the spring just fell out with no pressure at all.

[Southpa]

Its up to you but now is a good time to swap to front disc brakes. If you can find a decent 71 or up front end, I mean something with good front end susp. and steering components, then its worth going one better. Also a lot easier and less expensive. As the saying goes, "In for a penny, in for a pound".

[chevyman 68 C/10]

That sounds like my first front end job. I was in over my head I thought, but I bought the parts got started and learned alot. After a line up, man I was proud.
GOOD LUCK!!
Chevyman 68 C/10