If he is paying to have a mobile welder come do it than they aren't such a cheap option

 

Roger that. I think I'm going to just pass on the gussets for now folks.

I see that OMIX-ADA has a 5 year warranty on their bearing hubs, anyone know about them? Where they are made etc?

 

Same place as the Timkins... they are ILJIN products... as ronjenx said earlier. The only real difference I've seen in them is that some have a longer ABS wire than others. Not sure which part number gets you the longer wire though.

 

Thanks for all the opinions - I've decided to NOT do the gussets due to cost, labor and coordinated efforts. I'm also not going to a BB kit.

This is the PARTS LIST that I'm considering:

1) Synergy Ball Joints - I already own these

2) 5-760X U-Joints bills as heavy duty, fits Dana 30

3) Timken HA590242 Wheel Bearing and Hub Assembly = 1yr warranty @ $89.21 ea

or Omix-Ada Replacement Front Hub & Bearing Assembly = 5yr warranty @ $124.99 ea

4) 80w - 90w Synthetic Gear Oil fr & rr

Also one Ball Joint kit rental for ball and u-joints, 36mm socket, grease and grease gun

 

I'd go with the cheaper wheel bearing assemblies. They are the same maker. I've got 55,000 miles on mine (I think I purchased Timken) with 35s and wheel in the moderate range (3-4 rating on places where 6 is the toughest- still subjective) and DD it. No issues.

If you don't have one, try to get access to a 1/2" impact wrench. That will help a bunch with getting the ball joints out and tack in.

 

Thanks for that. I've driven less that 2k in the 26 months I've owned so I doubt I'll really wear out the parts, I just see a lot of logging road.

I do have an impact wrench and long wrench bars, cheaters, torque wrench etc. I already started the P-Blaster on everything.

 

You have posted this question on every site there is, got your answer yet ? lol !

 

Just about . . . and I'll post any more project questions like this across every site in order to maximize good advice and best practices born from a broad range of experience. The next time some schmuck like me has a question about parts and labor along these lines, hopefully they'll be able to get the bottom line from the threads no matter what site they peruse.

 

The tear down for ball joints isn't really the same as for axles and a hub. Yes you take the hub and axle out to do the ball joints, but that's the easy part. Removing the knuckle and pressing the joints out/in is most of the work. So honestly if you want to save money and not replace perfectly good hubs or u-joints, later on down the road of you need a hub it isn't that much work.

Jack the vehicle up and grab the tire at 12 and 6 and try to wobble it. Play here would be the hub or balljoints, it takes a lot less force to move a bad hub than a bad joint typically. You can also check for play between 3 and 9 and between like 11;30 and 4:30. This way you'll be checking tie rod ends and the hub at a different angle. If no play, and no bearing noise, chances are the hub is fine. When you take the axle out feel for play in the u-joint and look for rust streaking around the bearing caps, these indicate a bad joint.

But if you really want to replace these parts either way just to start off new, I can understand that. The hub will add zero extra work obviously, and the u joint adds a bit but they aren't too bad to change. I daily drove a lifted Ram (front Dana 44) on 37s for years when I was young, and changed the u-joints probably 6 times.

 

Thanks for that, the rust idea hasn't occurred to me. The voice of experience win again.

I was also curious about checking the tie rod ends properly too, but I'm still not sure how much wiggle wiggle is too much wiggle wiggle.

I'm pretty sure I saw a write up about checking that, I'll try to find it again.