I am thinking about replacing all the ball joints, bushings, tie rod ends, etc. on my 66 Riviera. There seems to be lots of options. Anyone have good luck with complete front end kits? I am trying to avoid the cheap components that can be out there. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, J.R.
You hit the "nail on the head," (pun intended!!).... Some of those kits that are out there are cheap Chineseum made parts -- and I suppose they would be FAIR on a bicycle, but not close to adequate for a REAL car!!! I will PM you, yours, Craig....
Don't buy any of those everything included in one box. Most all of it is junk. Check your front end for the parts that are actually needed. IF you replace with new off brand stuff it will more than likely wear out faster than if you kept the originals. My '64 Riv. has most of it's original front suspension parts & it has south of 300K. Get top name suspension parts. Moog, TRW, AC Delco etc. May be more costly but way less costly than doing the same 2/3/4 times. Most common wear items are center link & lower ball joints & idler arm. The only thing not available is the center link. It has to be sent out to be rebuilt. I have a used one from a '64 Riv. that only has 52K miles if your interested & I do the research & find '64 & '66 are the same. Tom T.
Tom T. Is knowledgeable about garbage , as you see, also. Rebuilding a front end is not about "luck". Quality parts make for a quality ride, period. Simple. Call me.
Hi Tom, First, thank you for all that you do for the Buick community. Your expertise and excellent resource for parts is greatly appreciated. I know for sure that my center link is worn out so I would be interested in yours. I understand a company named Rare parts could rebuild mine but it may be easier just to purchase the one you have. Let me know how much you need and the shipping and I think we can make that work. I have found a couple of NOS Moog lower ball joints to start with and I am going to access the rest of the front end when I get the car out of storage for needs. I will take your advice and only replace what is needed and find USA quality. Thanks again and I look forward to hearing from you.
