1983 D150 Control Arms

Hey guys,

My wife and I recently acquired a 1983 Dodge D150. She starts right up and runs great, but has a busted control arm. Having removed the front wheels for a better look, they seem to both be pretty bad, so I intend to replace both.
Unfortunately, I have very little suspension experience and am having troubles locating parts.

The question(s): Where may I find replacement parts for this truck? Are there any suggestions for things I should look at before we start driving her around (remember, I know very little about suspensions.)

I have had some luck finding parts on CARID.com. When it comes to the control arms, they are listed as B50 control arms, which worries me. I called and they assured me they are the correct ones. Since then, I have found others at slightly lower pricing, but they are listed as B150 control arms. I would think they would be more compatible given the comparable size of the van versus the smaller truck, but know nothing of either personally.

Some background. The truck is, as mentioned, a 1983 Dodge D150. It has the slant 6 and 3-speed with OD manual transmission and bears the short bed. I am on a bidget, but will spend what is needed to get her rolling safely (it just may take some time.) There are plenty of things that I will be looking for for her, but would like to focaus on making her roll and safely, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

CARID has W0133-1899769-TRW and W0133-1899771-TRW listed as the L and R control arms.

Summit seems to show the control arms for the B150, but I am unsure of their compatibility.

Please advise...

First off, welcome aboard!!

How do u know its the control arms themselves, and not a ball joint or bushings? Just wondered, cause unless it was wrecked chances are nothing will be wrong with them..

thanks for the welcome! I normally wouldnt know due to my lack of knowledge on suspension, but in this case it is actually rusted enough that it broke nearly in half. I finished it off while removing the hub actually. im guessing it would be a good idea to do the bushings and ball joints while im in there?

Pics might help us better assess what is actually needed.

As far as just reading your story all I can really say is replace everything... Which isnt really a good assessment, but if the control arms are actually rusted through I would say most everything else down there isn't in much better shape

Dan70 said:

Pics might help us better assess what is actually needed.

As far as just reading your story all I can really say is replace everything... Which isnt really a good assessment, but if the control arms are actually rusted through I would say most everything else down there isn't in much better shape

Click to expand...

I am not at home to take fresh pics, but here are two of the busted control arm and one of the passenger side that is intact, but i intend to replace it.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/...rlie/B9F503DA-AC0B-4784-93DB-A070678549C3.jpg

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/...rlie/0241D928-5368-4431-B11D-CC96A3B27236.jpg

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/...rlie/CDC1969D-5369-4B22-A77C-6803618A8FE0.jpg

All of the belts, hoses, plug wires, battery, brake pads, rotors, etc seem to be in good condition, so i believe it was decently maintained otherwise.

Let me know what you think! and thanks for the help!

eek. From the looks of those it would probably be the best bet to just start over. Of course with a budget the necessities will need to be taken care of first. I would start with atleast control arms and bushings. LMC has a bit of stuff for our old trucks. As far as I know the upper control arm doesnt have any pressure from the spring on it. Should be a pretty straight forward process.

But if the suspension parts are that bad, i'm sure the steering components are in rough shape. LMC has a bunch of steering components as well.. Might be worth a shot to start there.

Dan70 said:

eek. From the looks of those it would probably be the best bet to just start over. Of course with a budget the necessities will need to be taken care of first. I would start with atleast control arms and bushings. LMC has a bit of stuff for our old trucks. As far as I know the upper control arm doesnt have any pressure from the spring on it. Should be a pretty straight forward process.

But if the suspension parts are that bad, i'm sure the steering components are in rough shape. LMC has a bunch of steering components as well.. Might be worth a shot to start there.

Click to expand...

i fear the pics may make it look worse than it is, but i agree... i expect to have some work ahead of me. most of it is surface rust it seems. currently, i figured control arms, ball joints, bushings, stops, and tie rod ends. is there anything else you would consider a necessity or a no-brainer since i will be in so deep? thanks for the advice so far, this is exactly what i need!

as far as suspension is concerned that sounds like a pretty solid start. with the steering, the inner and outer tie-rods, and center adjusting sleeve. maybe the centerlink unless its in good shape still.

Dan70 said:

as far as suspension is concerned that sounds like a pretty solid start. with the steering, the inner and outer tie-rods, and center adjusting sleeve. maybe the centerlink unless its in good shape still.

Click to expand...

ironic that you mentipon that. the tie rods are what I am a little worried about. I dont know much about suspension to test if they are bad or not, but I intend to have someone check them for me. Im having trouble getting someone over, so i may just do the control arms, the studs i broke, and a few lugs for now. i wont need to remove the hub again for tie rod ends, right?

you really need the upper control arm in place to to test the tie rods. you jack up the front tires 1 at a time and push and pull a 3 and 9 on the tire. there should be little to no slop. to test ball joints you push and pull at 12 and 6

crazzywolfie said:

you really need the upper control arm in place to to test the tie rods. you jack up the front tires 1 at a time and push and pull a 3 and 9 on the tire. there should be little to no slop. to test ball joints you push and pull at 12 and 6

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. After reading it, I remember having tested tie rods that way before as a lad, but did not know that moving to 6 and 12 would test ball joints! Now I know! Just ordered the new control arms and a few other minor parts, so hopefully I will be rolling soon... or replacing tie rods...