My upper ball joints are also bad on the Ranger, so I ordered two Moog upper control arms from rockauto. They should be here next week.

I see in the parts listing an entry for a caster/camber kit for each side. Looks like bolts with cams and some washers and nuts that go where the control arm mounts to the frame. Is this something that has to be replaced when the upper control arms are replaced so it can be aligned or are they not needed?

 

yea its just a set of oval washers so you can adjust the camber, it comes with rectangle ones from the factory. So if its never had them replaced youll most likely need them. about $6.00 each side.
Dave

 

Thanks Dave. I took a closer look today after I got home. One side looks like a cam of some sort and the other side has a rectagular plate that looks like it locks down the camber so it cannot be adjusted. The kit you can buy has the cam on both sides. I guess that what I was reading about needing the kit

 

there is no reason to replace them unless you install a lift kit. They don't wear out.

 

It can easly be out of alingnment after replacing frontend parts. As I said the factory alignment is set with a standard square washer, based on an average within the manf specs. After a few miles, bumps, etc it may flex out of specs and need to be realigned. Some may never need it, some do. Its just a cost saving tool for ford to set it the way they do, they don't have to check and adjust them when built because they know they will be in specs from manfacturing tolerance. If it has damage/maintance in the frontend then it may require some more work, but it not an uncommon for them to need to be fitted with kits and adjusted.
Dave

 

the alignment is always off when you do frontend work (replacing balljoints or upper arms) and that is fixed with an alignement. The alignment washer that comes in the kit is also square (like the factory one) except its a little bigger so the alignment can be done on a frontend that has a lift kit installed.
I installed the kit on my 2000 because of a lift I installed and it pretty much looked like a square washer to me

 

Humm, must be a LOT of lift kits put on Rangers for Ford to make a special part so you can setup the front end. Just about evey alingment shop carries them too, sure must be a lot of lift kits.
Dave