IrocRam
Senior Member
I have a 1997 1500 4wd ext cab ram with a 5.5" fabtech long arm lift. I think the lift is about 10 years old, but not sure. I bought the truck about 5 months ago. I recently put brand new 315 75R16 tires on it, and now ready to move on to everything else. I took it to an alignment shop right after I bought it and they told me the upper and lower ball joints were bad on the driver side, and one tie rod was bad in the center, and that was it. Everything else checked out alright. I however think it would be a good idea to just replace everything. Ball joints on both sides, as well as all the tie rods. I am also contemplating the steering box as well. I do have a steering issue right now that I am not sure what it is yet. I already had the track bar redone and it has a brand new heim joint and bushing, and it's an adjustable one. It is good to go. The issue I have is the steering wheel seems to be off quite a bit. The alignment is definitely off so I am assuming that is that issue. The other part is it seems to sort of just pull randomly to the left or right kind of aggressively. I am thinking the ball joints are the culprit for that as well, hence why I want to do both sides at the same time.
So, I am looking for recommendations for balljoints and tie rods. I am looking at summit for stuff but wanted to see if anybody has any suggestions for me. I do have the lift, so I am thinking maybe something better than stock. I have always had stock ones on my lifted trucks and this is my third 2nd gen, but I figured since I would be doing them this time, maybe something a little better. I don't plan on keeping the truck for a super long period, but I don't know if I will sell it in a few months or if it will be a few years from now. I also have to replace the rear main seal as well, so that is another project I want to tackle.
So, I am looking for recommendations for balljoints and tie rods. I am looking at summit for stuff but wanted to see if anybody has any suggestions for me. I do have the lift, so I am thinking maybe something better than stock. I have always had stock ones on my lifted trucks and this is my third 2nd gen, but I figured since I would be doing them this time, maybe something a little better. I don't plan on keeping the truck for a super long period, but I don't know if I will sell it in a few months or if it will be a few years from now. I also have to replace the rear main seal as well, so that is another project I want to tackle.