My Son and I are starting to DIY upgrades and just general maintenance on our new to us 2001 F150 with 142,xxx miles. Looks like all the rubber on the front end steering is original and in need of some attention/replacement.

I saw some front end suspension package deals on ebay for under $160 that include lower ball joints/upper control arms/outer & inner tie rod ends/and the pittman and idler arm.

Is there anything about these kits that I need to know? The price seems good...but do I need to watch out for quality? We are just highway driving...no off road stuff to speak of.

I don't know that I have the "chops" to do the install...will likely take it to my mechanic..

Any insight/direction/comments appreciated.

Let's see if my photos load below showing what we have up front:

 

the saying "you get what you pay for" is VERY true when it comes to ebay, most kits like that are chinese imitation pieces that last no time. ( been there, done that). for suspension i'd look only for MOOG branded items, those have given me the best luck.

 

I put an Ebay kit on a 98. The machining and everything seemed to be very good, and is holding up quite well. But the rubber boots are decaying very fast.

I highly recommend sticking with Moog. We did the replacement about 6 months ago, and the rubber parts already look several years old.

 

I bought one of these kits for my 98 ford ranger. I only used that truck for my daily driver to and from work. The rubber in the lower ball joints didn't fit good on the ball joint. On one edge the rubber was off where it should have fitted tight allowing water and dirt to get in and the greese to get out. Everything else fit pretty good. I probably wouldn't buy one of those kits for my f-150.

 

X3 on MOOG parts!! I just did balljoionts on my 02 screw-except mine is a 4x4 GREAT QUALITY PARTS!! Keep em' greased and they will probbably outlast the truck!!