Suspension overhaul at 135k & 12 yrs

[Small_words]

Ok, my 4Runner is now 12 years old and drives poorly. The shocks/springs are shot I'm quite sure because I have about two inches between the bump stop and frame and gets squirrely over even small bumps. So, I ordered a 7.2 from Steve to address that issue. I am planning on replacing the control arm bushings because I figure they're shot also. I was also thinking of replacing the ball-joints while I was in there. Correct me if I'm wrong, but all three of these things probably should be done and all require an alignment to be done afterward. I know this makes the whole process of replacing shocks/springs a lot longer, but it seems worthwhile. What are ya'lls thoughts?

[Seanz0rz]

thats pretty low miles for a car thats 12 years old. sounds like youve never taken it offroad much, so i bet those bushings are probably fine.

however, you do have the front end apart, and it wouldnt be that much work to replace bushings and balljoints, and then they should last you at least another 10-15 years (probably much longer than you will have the vehicle)

best way to check if a ball joint is bad is lift the tire off the ground, support the truck with jackstands, grab the tire and shake, if it feels loose, replace the balljoints.

[Small_words]

I haven't taken it off-road much, or at least not crawling. I've just driven it to trailheads for hiking. Yeah, not very many miles at all. I was in the military for the last ten years and didn't spend much time at home.