Suspension Restoration

I Have a 86 lxi sedan with 215,100 miles. all the front suspension bushings
are cracked and rotted, But the rear bushings on the upper control arms are not. I have checked them all for play, and Find the rear passenger side upper control arm to have a little play. I can get a complete front suspension kit
including inner/outer tie rod ends, upper control arms with ball joints, Bushing kit, and lower ball jonts for a good price. I can also get the rear upper control arms decently priced also. I can get all this for right around $300. Considering the age of the car, the mileage, and not knowing when, or if any of these parts have ever been replaced, Would you recommend replacing it all ? A buddy suggested that I just replace the one with play, But If I do one, I want to do it all at the same time. Is it worth it ? I plan on keeping the car
as long as it will last with no major problems.

yes, replace it all. at this age with that many miles, it's a safety issue.

Just out of curiosity, How many of you guys have replaced all of your common wear suspension parts ? I guess I am going to go ahead and replace it all. Whats the usual price for a front end allignment ?

anywere from $60 to $100 or so

but it is smarter to get a all wheel alignment

If you want polyurethane bushings (less play but firmer ride), go here:
http://www.suspension.com/honda.htm
Just make sure you use poly grease else they'll squeak.

Cool !! Thanks Paso.

Ghettogeddy, I don't think the rear needs allignment, The front will if I replace the tie rods, tie rod ends. Would it cost much more to do the rear also ?

^^ Probably not, most shops charge a flat rate for a 4 wheel alignment.

But ya i'm in the same boat as you, going to be redoing my whole front end here pretty quick once the snow melts, i'm sick of the clunking,.

Im gonna go ahead and replace everything, then have all 4 wheels alligned.
I just hope it's worth at 215,100 miles. The only major repair I have had to do
to my car is replacing the transmission. Other than that, a bunch of small
stuff. I checked the compression and got 130 cyl 1, 120 cyl 2, 130 cyl 3, and
150 cyl 4. The car tends to smoke for a little heavy on cold days for about 10 minutes, Then simmers down to normal exhaust. Im sure it's just the valve stem seals, or guides, or both But, I can get the stem seals and guides replaced, a 3 angle valve job, and mill for $150 But, I am just going to wait until next fall because by then it will be time to replace the timing belt and water pump.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 86-accord-lxi

I Have a 86 lxi sedan with 215,100 miles. all the front suspension bushings
are cracked and rotted, But the rear bushings on the upper control arms are not. I have checked them all for play, and Find the rear passenger side upper control arm to have a little play. I can get a complete front suspension kit
including inner/outer tie rod ends, upper control arms with ball joints, Bushing kit, and lower ball jonts for a good price. I can also get the rear upper control arms decently priced also. I can get all this for right around $300. Considering the age of the car, the mileage, and not knowing when, or if any of these parts have ever been replaced, Would you recommend replacing it all ? A buddy suggested that I just replace the one with play, But If I do one, I want to do it all at the same time. Is it worth it ? I plan on keeping the car
as long as it will last with no major problems.

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were are u getting the rebuild kit at i might be looking in to one soon

Yeah, where is this kit at? I need to do this also, at 230,000 miles. :)