Rust, Bent Metal, & Gear Oil = A Fine Rig.... Issues That Need Addressing

[YotaFun]

As many of you may know, I have had the Sonoran Steel System 1.51 sitting in my bedroom.
Reasons why:
1) I got broadsided a week after I got the lift
2) Finances became an issue
3) I want to get the lift powder coated

So now that I have the truck back, and money is coming in slowly again.
This memorial day weekend I will be getting the lift powder coated and assembled.

So, today, while I was cleaning out the garage I thought I would look over the truck a little.
So I decided to start up front and work my way back.
So first I pulled of the front tire like so:


As you can see, Rust and Dirt. No surprise for a North East Off-Roader.
Anyway.
I was looking over some of the components that I would be replacing or reusing.
First I looked at the top of the frot assembly where the shock and coils are attached:


As you can see the wonderful north east salt road have gotten the better of the nuts and studs.
So I have come to the conclusion that I will replace the nuts. (at least for the coil since the shock already came with a nut)
I will also be getting new top plate and rubber isolator so I can get the front pre-assembled before I put it on.
I was alos thinking of getting new cushion and retainers for the front shocks.
I might replace the bottom bolt that attaches the shock to the lower a-arm. The nut looks fine but the bolt head looks a little ristued and like it might strip when getting removed.

Does this sound like overkill?
I just want to not be digging into this and then get caught up because some bolt or nut stripped or broke.
(story of my life with this truck)

So anyway I moved down to the a-arms, since I will be replacing these as well with shaved a-arms:



The Nute and cotter pin are crusted with mud, so I will replace those.
The diagram I have does not show the part right under the a-arm,
Can anyone tell me what it is?
and
If I should or shouldn't replace it while I am in there?

Also while I am here, should I replace the bushings in the a-arms?

With that issue out of the way I decided to continue further under the truck.
As some of you may or may not know, I lost the stock skid plate on my last little outing to the C&D Canal.
Well the reason I lost it is because, like another great wheeler out west that I know, I ZIP Tied the skid on.
The reason I did this is because when I first got the truck, I was young and stupid (which is still up for debate)
and went mudding without really looking at where I was going and got stuck in this pit:



Well, when a full sized Chevy came to pull me out, he pulled me out backwards, cause mud to get shoved between the skid and the truck, causing it to break the blots on the rear of the skid and bending it to give me a temporary shovel under my truck.
Anyway, like I said I was young and stupid and had a good mechanic friend of mine remove the rest of the skid, and since the truck was muddy we didn't really notice anything.
Then, when I bought a used stock skid from localmotion (Matt), and went to put it on I noticed this issue, First is the right side, second is the left:



As you can see the left side is broke and bent from its original location.
So my questions are:
1) Should I just heat it bend it back and weld it back in the stock location?
or
2) Should I just cut both and make new mounts that are a little more stout?

I will be getting a BudBuilt eventually which iirc utilizes the stock mounting location of the stock skids so I would like to get this fixed and get another stock skid on for the time being.

Upon taking those pictures today I noticed another issue the you can see in the picture of the bad skid mount, which is some sort of fluid.
Upon further inspection I have found that it is coming from the location where the rod goes into the steering rack:



Since I will be replacing the bushings for the rack with ones from energy suspension thanks to
xonetruthcrewx (Colin) (Thanks again man! ) I have a few questions:
Should I just replace the rack? (It has 128+K with off road miles mixed in there)
or
Is there an easy way to repair that leak?

The funny thing is I am not loosing any fluid (at least so the reservoir says) or having any steering issues.

Then when looking at the tire rod ends, I noticed the angle on the left seems a bit wierd:


I do not have a picture of the right side (I took one but the camera must have deleted it) but the angle def looked less severe.
I also noticed if I was to replace the rack I would have to get a new nut and cotter pin as well:


So what is everyones thoughts on the tire rod ends?
Am I just out of my mind?
or
Did I bend something there too?

Anyway, Now that the front has been picked over I went to the back.
the back seems pretty much fine accept for one issue:


Thats the right side that covered in what I believe is gear oil.
Now some of you that came over from TOF may know I had to replace both of these back when they blew at 100K
after this trip of me getting my new tires:

(sitting on blocks cause not only did I not have rear brakes due to the issue, I also had no more front brakes, that made for an interesting trip to the shop and lost of metal to metal pain...)

Anyway, back when I was in my accident in October, the old axle had to be replaced.

So my question to everyone is, should I go back to the shop and tell them this is there responsibility and have them fix it on there dime?
or
Should I not waste my time and just get it fixed on my own?

I have already had to have this job done once, and I have had the truck back an have driven maybe 8K since I have got it back in my hands.
The dif breather mod is done and working so something tells me that this is an axle with a lot of miles on it, and the old axle had 20K after the first seal replacement without issue.
I already put 700 in for the first time (both sides had to be done, both inner and outer seal and bearing) I did it and honestly don't want to have to do that again.

Anyway thanks in advance for all your help.
I am just trying to get myself set to get the truck rolling right.

Avy

[Seanz0rz]

alot of those bolts im not sure why you are replacing. i would just clean them very well with brake cleaner and a wire brush

also, dont take it back to the shop, as much hell as they have caused you, save yourself some trouble, shell out the cost yourself.

[YotaFun]

In my past experience with any bolt or nut on this truck is it will either crumple up upon any pressure applied. Or the head will strip. Or the threads will get messed up (happen with on of the screws for my tow hook). And I just don't want to have to deal with it.

Hell I am eve affraid to touch me rear brake line after trying to help my friend do his.

As for the shop, I know they gave me hell but I just don't have 350 to cough up to get it fixed by the mech I want (that dosen't include the tank of gas to get there) and I am not about to take it to the mechanic who 1) lost my keys and 2) thought my power steering pump needed to be fixed when in actuality it was the idler pulley on the same damn system that he had just worked on!

So yeah, sorry for the rant, at work right now and my day got a little crappy after my original post.

[rocktown]

spray it all down with pb blaster like everyday for a week before you do the lift

[YotaFun]

I wish pb was the answer.
Didn't work on the gas tank.

[Cebby]

PB is the answer in all cases - you just need to plan far enough in advance with it. Soaking rusty fasteners in PB a week in advance has been my MO for getting things apart, I'm talking 5-7 days of application - and my 4Runner is much older than yours and in worse condition rust-wise.

Helps to have an impact wrench though...or a long ass breaker bar. I use a 4' long pipe sometimes.













OK, not always. A propane torch is also your friend (not around the gas tank though...)

[YotaFun]

The breaker bar I have.
It helped me break the head off three bolts for the gas tank skid.

Maybe if my truck wasn't a DD the PB blaster will work.

But there are some nuts that are going to be replace, one being the ones that are holding my front o2 sensor on. I have sprayed PB enough to go swimming in it.
And every timw I take any tool to it it just starts to crumble or melt.

Heck, the brand new nuts and bolt that the mech put on when he installed my TRD are already rusted solid.

[Bob98SR5]

rusty nuts:

pb blaster as the guys have said, but also do this: if the nuts are in an area that is not located near flammable material, easy to get to, not near fuel lines, etc, buy one of those benzomatic torches and heat the nuts up a little, let it cool a little and spray w/ pb blaster. since metal expands with heat, it will allow the pb to penetrate into nut caused by the expansion. keep doing this about 2-3 times over the course of a few days.

when backing out the nut, do NOT try to remove the nut as you normally would. in fact, tighten it a little, spray some more pb, then back the nut out a little. what you are trying to do is to break the bond taht the rust has formed with the threads of the nut. that is your goal. the side benefit, of course, is that the nut will come off.

the other thing you might try is to cup brush off the rust off the nut. alot of times, the rust is bonded to the bolt, thereby preventing you from getting a solid grip on the nut.

sounds like a lot of work, but better than to round off the nut! your last two options are to buy one of those grabber-type sockets (i have a set from sears, works well) or using a (get your laughs in now, haha) nut breaker. its a device that goes around the nut and there's a pointed bolt that you twist that splits the nut in half.

bob

[YotaFun]

Wow.
Thank you bob for that long how too.
I will try that on the muffler bolts for the o2 sensor firt and then work around.

Still thinking me driving it around dosen't help the PB blaster (really need to get a commuter car)

So as far as the rust goes, I got plenty answers from everyone which I greatly appreciate.

But


What about my other issues

[Bob98SR5]

bent bolts = replace