Been told by the collision people that I bent the lower control arm when I ran the front pass wheel into a low wall ( where's the smiley for dumba*s?). They said this out of past experience, but "wouldn't know for sure" until it's on the rack. I hit it very hard too, the bolts sticking out of the wall for a guardrail tore channels through my rims and tires. The wheel sits back now about an inch and a half (towards the rear of the truck, not in towards the engine), so something is bent. Whatever it is, it's slight. You can't tell anything is bent just by looking underneath. On the plus side, the truck must've bounced oddly because front and rear wheels were trashed, with only a scratch on the front fender. No body damage to the door or the bed.

So if I go ahead and replace the lower control arm, how can I tell if anything else is bent too? Like the upper control arm, or the control arm mounts on the frame, etc.

It's a 97 supercab with 114k miles on it. Since I'm in there anyway, is there anything I should go ahead and replace, like bushings, ball joints, etc?


Thanks guys.

 

I would take your truck to a suspension shop and have them take a look at it. It may cost you a little bit but they will be able to give you an answer.