Steering part brands

[Wanderer]

I'm looking at replacing the pitman arm, idler arm and hubs on the 2006 Chev 2500 HD I just bought. Yeah, you own it for awhile and start finding things you didn't notice in the pre-buy inspection.

At any rate, I've been checking into parts and can get some new OE Brand parts for cheap from a private party. O'Reilley's quoted me prices on Moog parts and the part numbers are the same as OE Brand. Doing a little research I see OE Brand is NOT the same as OEM - nice marketing. The genuine GM parts are a little more spendy and I've looked at other aftermarket brands like Cognito.

So, the question is, does anyone have a recommendation on which brand is the best bang for the buck for these parts? I don't need hi performance parts since I don't beat on my equipment but I don't want parts I'll have to change out again soon.

I'm finding the original steering components are known to wear out soon if you upsize the tires or lift the truck and don't add a leveling kit and/or supports to the pitman and idler arms.

[311Hemi]

Check out pricing at the Rockauto HSOforum for the parts you need. I have used them plenty of times and saved some good money vs local parts stores!

I personally would not get the cheapest options for parts like that. I know when I did the front end of my Dodge 2500 I went with moog.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I would go with the better option with the better warranty. We install a lot of "less expensive" front end parts for customers on a budget. These parts will usually start to show some play before a year and will need to be replaced again before 2 years.

Don't be afraid to have the parts guy pull the better and less expensive parts for you to look at. If they look the same chances a they are. One just comes with a better warranty.

[Wanderer]

Thanks.

I went with Moog for the pitman and idler arms and Precision for the hubs. Limited liftetime warranty on the Moog parts and 3 years on the hubs. I'm sure I could've picked up better hubs but these should do for a while.

I did run into the issue on the pitman arm of not having a puller that was open enough to span the steering gearbox shaft in order to get into position to pull the arm. I've looked at pullers from 3 different places and they're all the same. The shaft measures 1.6065 with my caliper; easily .250 wider than the gap on the puller. I'll be checking with the dealer tomorrow if there's a "special" puller needed for the 2500HD or if I should just grind the gap on the standard puller to gain the clearance.

It's only a $15 puller anyway but there has to be one available that fits.

[Scott K]

I just ground mine down, like you did. Our shop had an old kit, that had one that fits, but it seems most pullers are to tight.