I need advice on repairs or where to purchase an entire front end kit for a 1990 4.9l e150 which serves as my sign painter work van.

I went in for a front alignment and new tires today, and the shop told me I had issues with my:
1. steering coupler (loose?)
2. intermediate shaft (they said it looks like someone bent it slightly, maybe by towing)
3. gearbox (not sure)
4. kingpins (loose?)
5. radius arm bushings (put on incorrectly)
6. and might as well do my shocks too.
7. Also there's an oil leak coming from the front of engine . (basically the whole front end needs a lot of love.)

The manager said if I could do it myself, he recommended just ordering a full front end kit. Otherwise they'll send me a quote next week.

So far on this auction-purchased van, I've rebuilt the transmission, gotten all new brakes, new radiator, motor mounts, and changed a ton of gaskets out such as the upper intake manifold and throttle body and cleaned all the fuel injectors. There's probably more I'm forgetting. I have about 11k in it in total and have been using it as a daily driver locally while my VW Jetta is out of order... I'm not confident working on the van myself, but curious what y'all's thoughts were. With this much money into it so far, should I just have a shop redo the front end? I'm sure the answer is obvious, to have someone else. But while we're working on it, is there anything else I should consider or address? What would y'all do?

Thanks!

 

Detroit Axle on Ebay
I buy complete kits for Jeeps for less than I can buy 2 ball joints from AutoZone
Not thrilled with the parts, but they fit, and I have not had any warranty concerns in 10-15 years so far

 

@Manic Mechanic that's a great tip. I've been pricing individual parts and am leaning towards parts with better reviews, but just buying an affordable kit sounds smart... For instance, I read that redhead brand gearboxes are rebuilt really well and minimize on steering slop, compared to other rebuilds like cardone and carquest. For a humble work van though, a kit is probably fine.

 

Rubber bushings and center link you can do yourself, but kingpins require special presses and reamers most home mechanics do not have. If you are not overly familiar with working on cars and don't have the tools, your best bet is to find a shop that works on semi trucks, motor homes, or other big trucks that still use kingpins and have them rebuild at least the kingpins.

About ten years ago I rebuilt the entire front suspension on a 1990 E-150 I used to own. The kinpins were completely worn, but so were the holes in the axles where the kingpins go. I found a diesel truck shop that would work on my van and we ended up going throuigh three sets of junkyard axle beams until we found a pair that wasn't worn beyond useability.

Some things are just better left to professionals.

Rockauto is my go-to source for parts these days. Or maybe Fordpartsgiant.com, ebay, for NOS stuff.

 

@Reed I found this video of a young guy changing his kingpins and I got excited that maybe I could do it. I've seen videos of bigger vans though that took a lot of hammering to get their king pins out. But your scenario sounds like a nightmare! My van has had a lot of slop in it since I got it, but so far no mechanics have seen the steering issues, so I've just kept on cruising. But it's time to address it. Fingers crossed I don't get into deep water like you did.

 

I've replaced around a hundred sets over the years
You might be able to get the old king pins out with a torch
You need some serious heat
Rosebud tip on a small Victor is sufficient
When Ford went to plastic (nylon) bushings, they got easier for a couple of years until they decided plastic is for dashes and interior parts
I take the old caps off and drill a 1/2 inch hole in them, then hog out the holes with a die grinder and reinstall them
That way I can use a big punch to pop them out with, and not destroy the threads in the knuckle
I've never pressed any out using a press
I've tried a few times, ruins knuckles quick, pretty damn hard to get set up good on a press, and the knuckle will suffer damage has been my experience
I always wanted a press setup like they use on semi tractors, I may have made my own press, if I needed to do another hundred sets
Not the job for the feeble hearted (it's tough) you can buy an adjustable king pin reamer
I have both sizes of adjustable reamers for Fords and they work well
I also have the factory non adjustable reamers that DO NOT work well for me
Good luck

 

Hmm, come to think of it, maybe I could do everything except for the kingpins and radius arm bushings... It'd be great to find a cool shop that let's me see the process though. I'm a sign painter and am always looking for a trade on stuff like that. What do you think though? Should I do everything that doesn't require jack stands myself and have the pros do the rest?

 

Well, just about everything will be done easier on jackstands or a hoist / pit
Pretty hard dealing with tie rods even on the ground, it can be done but with much effort, way easier on jackstands

 

For someone with zero suspension/steering work experience but enough experience turning wrenches and constructing things, you think I can handle it? Or is this not a beginner friendly job?

 

The radius rod bushings should be one of the easier jobs to do on your 1990 van because the rear mounts bolt on and off of the frame