fangey

Found out today that my driver side tire is down to the wire on the inner side of the tread...So I need camber kits... I know skunk 2 makes em and eibach too, just wondering wat brand you ppl have in your cars and how you would rate them.

PacificDude

I use an Ingalls adjustable balljoint kit for the front. If you have and 88-89 Civic/CRX you will need to find upper control arms from a 90-91 Civic/CRX. The reason is because the balljoints on the 88-89 UCA's seem to be welded in place, and the 90-91 balljoints can be pressed out with a hydraulic press.

I've been been pleased with them, although the rubber balljoint boots seem to have dried and started cracking sooner than I had expected. Luckily, when I bought the car from a friend, he had already purchased a bunch of Energy Suspension replacement bushings for most of the suspension. I've recently started replacing some of these, and the new ES balljoint boots are great.

Keep this in mind if you go with this product. Or, if you don't want to go through all the trouble, spend the extra $$$ on the Skunk2 upper control arms for your application.

Which reminds me...the stock bushings are a PITA to get out, especially if you don't have access to a hydraulic press. I don't have a hydraulic press and I'm not willing to pay a shop ridiculous fees to do this for me. So, through some creative improvisions, I've found a way to get the stock bushings out that is relatively quick. I'll take pics on my next upper control arm bushing replacement and do a write-up. Keep and eye out in the DIY forum

DaNnYsEvEn

i have heard from many people to stay away from the es ball joint boots, mainly because they seem to not hold the grease in and just let it all out.
i did buy a es master bushing kit and looked at the ball joint boots. they don't have a ring clip to hold the boot to the ball joint to keep the grease from escaping.

how did you get it to work?

PacificDude

I'll have to keep an eye on that now that you mention it.

The old ball joint boots seemed to be too big for the application and appeared excessively squished with the steering knuckle in place. It's true that the ES boots don't have a ring clip to hold them in place. What I've experienced is that the ES boots seem just slightly small so they fit tightly over the ball joint.

I removed as much of the old grease as possible and applied new grease. I used Valvoline Multi-Purpose Grease; the red stuff. I decided to use this grease because it is alot easier to deal with than that strangely sticky grease packets ES sends with their bushing kits.

Once greased and boot in place, I reinstalled the steering knuckle and tightened the castle nut down properly. The steering knuckle didn't squish the hell out of the new boot, but rather just enough firm pressure to hold it in place. So grease did come out of the top, but that's just because I put in extra to be sure all the air was squeezed out once the boot was secured in place.

I was concerned at first about not having a ring clip for the new boot, but I think all will be well. I'll just be sure to take a look whenever the tires are off to see how they're doing. If I need to, re-greasing with these ball joint boots installed will be alot easier without the ring clip to fumble with.

DaNnYsEvEn

i suppose since its going to be under watch, it should be okay. id just be worried about water getting in and destroying the ball joint sooner then expected. im just too lazy i guess lol.
so do these es ball joint boots go over the existing boot? or do you have to remove the old boot and install the new one?

also im interested in how you figured out how to get the bushings out with out too much hassle.

PacificDude

No, these ES boots do not go over the existing boot. You have to remove the old boot. I don't think I'll be worried about water getting inside. They fit tightly and granted that enough grease was put inside it should repel water sufficiently. What I may do during each tire rotation is needle inject some fresh grease into each boot as regular maintenance. If I'm not happy with how the boots are faring I can always get a stock replacement with a ring clip. Since I had these ES boots on hand I figured I've give them a chance.

As for the bushings, let's just say removing them involves a torch and sawzall, among other tools. With that said I bet most people go . I'm pretty good with tools and I'm confident in my ability not to screw up vital components, so my method may not be for everyone. Stay tuned for a write-up in the DIY forum in about a month when I can get to putting it all together.

DaNnYsEvEn

good luck with the boots, keep us updated. they might not be as bad as people say they are.
i will be keeping an eye out on the diy for the bushing removal thread.
we need one here.
thanks