Speccing Out My Suspension Revamp

[chilkoot]

My '93s at about 135k miles, and I'm setting a personal goal to have my suspension fixed by the end of the summer. At this point, it looks like a no-brainer to go DIY, but I want to make sure I know what I'm in for before I start planning for it. I've been doing some searching, but haven't found anything comprehensive.

I think it makes sense to replace everything if I'm going as deep as the shocks and springs, so I'm thinking tie rod ends, control arms (upper and lower), strut rods, struts (KYB GR-2) and springs (not sure which ones yet) should keep me from behind the wheels for at least a few miles. Am I overlooking anything if I just want to get it all done? Any suggestions on springs for a slightly firmer than stock ride to match the GR-2s?

If I get the rebuilt control arm kit from Lextreme (http://www.lextreme.com/Lexus-Control-Arms.html) are there any other bushings to replace but the rear knuckle and rear axle carrier? It looks like buying that kit will save me hours of labor doing the actual work of changing bushings, is this a correct assumption? Will this boil a suspension replacement down to a parts swap? (I don't expect it to be easy, but I'm looking for idiot-resistance) I haven't seen any mention of strut mounts in other threads or searching, will I need to find a source for those?

Also, my rear tires are bowed /.......... \. To the best of my knowledge they've been like that since I got the car. The angle is only maybe half as extreme as those slashes, but it's enough to make me worry about tire wear. Any specific culprits that are known for that one? I've had it aligned and they didn't even mention it.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

[tommybga]

My '93s at about 135k miles, and I'm setting a personal goal to have my suspension fixed by the end of the summer. At this point, it looks like a no-brainer to go DIY, but I want to make sure I know what I'm in for before I start planning for it. I've been doing some searching, but haven't found anything comprehensive.

I think it makes sense to replace everything if I'm going as deep as the shocks and springs, so I'm thinking tie rod ends, control arms (upper and lower), strut rods, struts (KYB GR-2) and springs (not sure which ones yet) should keep me from behind the wheels for at least a few miles. Am I overlooking anything if I just want to get it all done? Any suggestions on springs for a slightly firmer than stock ride to match the GR-2s?

If I get the rebuilt control arm kit from Lextreme (http://www.lextreme.com/Lexus-Control-Arms.html) are there any other bushings to replace but the rear knuckle and rear axle carrier? It looks like buying that kit will save me hours of labor doing the actual work of changing bushings, is this a correct assumption? Will this boil a suspension replacement down to a parts swap? (I don't expect it to be easy, but I'm looking for idiot-resistance) I haven't seen any mention of strut mounts in other threads or searching, will I need to find a source for those?

Also, my rear tires are bowed /.......... \. To the best of my knowledge they've been like that since I got the car. The angle is only maybe half as extreme as those slashes, but it's enough to make me worry about tire wear. Any specific culprits that are known for that one? I've had it aligned and they didn't even mention it.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

I was just doing a search for Strut Mounts myself in here and though I'm by no means an expert on mechanics, I just replaced the front Strut Mounts on my 96 LS400 with 285,000 and it was the best 375 I spent on my car. Before replacing everything under your wheel well, I'd start with Strut Mounts and go from there. I'm now looking into doing the rear in a month or so once I get some extra money b/c the fronts made such a huge difference.

[nc211]

Chill, I replaced all of my suspension components with oem shortly after getting my LS, and I had no idea how to DIY, just had the downloaded pages from the manual. Took me a whole weekend to do the fronts, had to pay for the rear due to severe exhaustion.

Strut mounts are crucial! That is one component I did not do, and wish I had, badly. Upon selling mine, the mounts were worn out at 135k miles and would give a noticable pop upon sharp bumps. So I would get those, definetely. Also, I wouldn't forget the lower ball joints on the front either, I didn't see them on your list. You're wise to hit all at once, as sometimes when you introduce a new component, it it can really show the age of the older components around it.