Hi Folks, I need your help resolving a Front Suspension problem with my 47 setting on a 1994 S-10 chassis. I do not know the history of the truck other then it has a 350 cid with S-10 running gear. The truck is lowered in the front, I assume by changing the front springs. My current problem is the Lower Drivers Side Control Arm is broken at the shock mount. In addition the front suspension seems loose when the truck is off the ground and you move front tire/wheel assembly side to side. The inside edge of the tires are showing signs of ware. My Questions: I have never rebuilt an S-10 suspension, what should I replace in addition to the broken lower control arm, (ball joints, tie rods etc)? What suspension up-grades should I consider, I'm not a real fan of air and I would like to keep the cost under control. I'm planning on tackling this repair/replacement myself so any help would be greatly appreciated. Ron
If you want to lower it more, Dropped control arms and dropped spindles are available and cheap. New ball joints and wheel bearings are fairly inexpensive, a urethane bushing upgrade is also fairly cheap and will tighten everything up considerably. The inside is wearing due to negative camber, the top of the tire is leaning in...probably due to cut springs and no alignment. I would look into lowered springs and/or control arms, you don't know the history behind those springs (they could have been heated...a recipe for disaster) Grab copy of Truckin, Minitruckin or Sport truck magazines and look in the ads, s10 parts are everywhere. Check suicidedoors.com and airbagit.com for good prices on parts and good service. Airbagit used to be AIM industries, I have dealt with them since 1990 when I was into minitrucks.
We have done several of these conversions and prefer the earlier chassis but the later ones are fine also. Since we use the 80's units they are all high mileage with worn out suspension. All these prices are from Rock Auto and off the top of my head so allow a little wiggle room. The grand total for every part needed to completely rebuild your front end with new coil springs and a new control arm should run you around $250. Control arm-60, springs-55 pr., ball joints upper 12 lower 15, bushings and shaft kits 30, sway bar link kit 8, caster-camber cams and bolts 9, alignment kit 10, shocks 15 to 30. You might want to check the condition of the rear suspension parts also. Order everything together for a combined shipping price because shipping is really getting to be a bite in the butt.
Thanks for all the help I will check out all the recommendations. I know one thing I have to get the drivers side lower control arm, my current control arm has a crack. Ron
Hi Evan, thanks for the reply to my suspension delima. I did as you suggested and checked out Rock Auto, they have everything I need to rebuild and your price info was close. I ordered a drivers side lower control arm which comes complete with ball joint and bushings. I did some more checking and the remaining ball joints and bushing (upper and lower) look good, I wish I knew the history of the truck. The truck actually sets great however it's a bit to low in the front, must use care to avoid draging the front bumper. My current plan is to replace the Left lower control arm assembly, install new wheel bearing as required. I would like to raise the front about 1" do you think I could accomplish this by installing new springs and shocks? What is the best way to determine which lowering springs to order? My objective is to raise the front about 3/4 to 1" and to improve the ride a bit. I can measure the length of the springs and shocks when I replace the left lower control arm, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ron
