'96 ZJ front end rebuild

maleemi 19 years ago

My '96 6 cyl Laredo (128,000 miles) is showing the first signs of death wobble. I'm planning to replace the shocks and springs (most likely OME) and the steering damper but while I'm at it I'm thinking I should go ahead and replace as many of the front end components as feasible.

I'm trying to keep cost down but am looking for suggestions on which components I should replace. Should I go with OEM parts or is there aftermarket stuff that is a better value?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Best Regards,

Marcel

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Dick 19 years ago

You need to consider the drag links, track bar and tie-rod ends as well as the shocks and steering damper. I had aftermarket parts used on my ZJ, and it has been perfect since it was repaired.

Dick

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DougW 19 years ago

I've had DW a couple of times on my 93 but never had to do major front-end work.

New sway bar and track bar bushings, new shocks, factory stabilizer, alignment, balance, and tighten the control arm mounting bolts. I have new poly bushings for the control arms but that's one hell of a job to do.

Replaced the springs once. The old ones had sagged quite a bit and did it ever make a difference in ride quality. The fronts were available in progressive rate (makes things a bit softer but not sure I'd do it again) but the rears were only available from the factory. Next time I'm going to get the up-country springs for a 1" lift.

Most of those are written up on my site. ZJ though.

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