how long did it take you and what issues did you run into that took the most time. all the clips make this look so easy but as I always find out 4 hours turns into 8 for me.
debating if I want to tackle all the upgrades I plan or send it to the shop.
The first side took approx 4-5 hours on Friday night. The second side took approx 3-4 hours on Sunday. I was going alone and didn't have any help. Also, I had a wedding on Saturday and needed the truck running so took a break in between sides...that was a bad idea because I forgot some of the vague steps when it came time to do the next side. The worst part for me was probably pressing the new ball joints in. The ball joint kit you have makes all the difference. Mine only had three little spacers so I had to get very creative.
Oh, also...the MOOG ball joints have zerk fittings. The bottom ball joint's fitting doesn't allow the universal to turn. You will need to install the zerk right after pressing the ball joint in, fill with grease, remove, and then put the tiny little bolt back in for things to play nicely. The top ball joint can keep it's zerk fitting.
Other time consuming things I will attempt to save you some time with:
My stuff was rusted pretty bad, as it's originally a NJ truck. To get the union bearing assemble off the knuckle I knew of an old-school trick. Jam a bolt/nut in between the axle-shaft and axle housing. Turn the steering wheel as to press out the unit bearing assembly. This will save you a lot of time if yours are finicky like mine were. Obviously, make sure you've taken the three 13mm bolts out before attempting this.
Next up was getting the ABS wire/clip undone from behind the shock tower. Just jam a small flatblade screw driver between the tower and the clip and pry gently. It'll pop right out. Next you'll need to wiggle your way up there from under the front of the truck. The clip has a red section on the end that you will move away from the rest of the clip (highlighted in red). Then you can press down on the black lever and separate the two halves of the clip. I spent, in totality, nearly 2 hours trying to figure this out. I am colorblind so I had no idea the end was red...but apparently it is.
Finally, the last thing that gave me a little headache was getting the knuckle to pop off the old ball joints. I just hit here with a 2lb sledge until it popped off.
I utilized the "JK Ball Joint" 2 part videos on YouTube to get a general setup for the ball joint tool. It helped a lot for that. Also, make sure you flex the front axle when using the ball joint press. You need the side you're working on to droop and the other side to compress up in the wheel-well. This helps keep the top of the press from binding on the coil-tower. Now that I've done it I could probably do an entire truck in a few hours. It's just knowing the tricks and having the right tools for the job. Hope this helps someone!