Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the GMC Sierra 1500 front end. In this guide we will cover the
essential repairs for the front end of this vehicle. Included within these repairs
is the inner and outer tie rod removal and change, the front wheel hubs installation, ball joint removal and
installation, the upper and lower control arms, and the front strut installation. Along
with the repair procedures we also include the corresponding bolt torque specs for each fastener involved. These
guides are intended to assist in each procedure to help diyers with the job.
GMC Sierra 1500 Tie Rod Change/Removal
To install a new tie rod on a GMC Sierra 1500 you must first remove the old one from the vehicle. This can be
done by raising the vehicle up by either the use of a floor jack or a vehicle hoist.
Once the vehicle is in the air you can remove the corresponding tire for the side that you want to change the
tie rod on. Once the tire is off you can now access the old tie rod and remove it for replacement. On this vehicle the
tie rod is apart of an entire rod system which controls the steering of the vehicle. If any of the steering rods are loose
be sure to replace them appropiately. The outer tie rod itself connects with another inner portion of the rod through the use
of an inner tie rod. This inner tie rod screws into the power steering rack and can be torqued down to 75 ft-lbs.
Be sure to inspect and measure your old tie rods so that the new ones can be installed
correctly. Whenever steering components are changed I recommend having an alignment done after the job to ensure the vehicle is in good
functional condition. When putting the tie rod onto the vehicle the tie rod end nuts get tightened down to 26 ft-lbs plus an additional
90 degree turn. Be sure to install new cotter pins to ensure that vehicle safety is maintained.
GMC Sierra 1500 Outer Tie Rod End Torque Spec : 26 ft-lbs + 90°
GMC Sierra 1500 Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec : 75 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Installation
The front wheel hub on the GMC Sierra 1500 is different depending on whether the vehicle is 4WD or RWD. On rear wheel drive models the
front wheel bearing gets tightened down to the steering knuckle but it does not have a center axle nut. The AWD wheel hub wil have a hole for the cv axle
to go through it and then be tightened down using a giant nut. If you are replacing
the bearing on a RWD model you will want to start with jacking up your vehicle and removing the tire on the side you wish to replace. From here we can move
to the braking system and remove the caliper so that the rotor can then be taken off of the vehicle. With the braking system removed we can now gain
better access to the front wheel hub and its bolts which are located behind it. Move the steering wheel to one side and then reach in from behind the
knuckle to remove the 3 bolts which hold the wheel hub in. Once you get one side done you can move the steering wheel the other direction. Once all
of the bolts have been removed you can lightly hammer on the old wheel hub to get it to come loose from the knuckle. Once loose the old hub should
easily move away from the vehicle. Be sure to unplug the ABS or wheel speed sensor if attached. The new hub can now be placed into position and you can
hand tighten the 3 bolts. Once all of the bolts have been hand tightened you can begin to torque them down to 133 ft-lbs. From here if you have a RWD model
you can reassemble the braking system and wheel and be done. If you have a 4WD model however you will need to install the cv axle into the hub and tighten down
the center axle nut to 177 ft-lbs. After torqueing you can install the dust cap and reinstall the rest of the wheel assembly. For the braking system be sure
to check out the brake webpage which can be found using the button on the top of the page.
GMC Sierra 1500 Front Axle Nut Torque Spec : 177 ft-lbs
The GMC Sierra 1500 has two sets of front ball joints being the upper and lower ball joints. The most common one
for replacement is the lower ball joint which on this vehicle is attached to the lower control arm. To install a new lower ball joint
you will need to either press out the old ball joint or replace the entire control arm as an assembly. If you choose to replace the entire arm
be sure to check out the control arm section on this webpage. If you choose to press out the ball joint you will need a ball joint pressing tool
which looks like a giant c clamp and comes with many different pressing plates. Find the correct sized plate and press out the old ball joint
and then press in the new ball joint. Once you can the new lower ball joint in place you can reinstall the steering knuckle to the lower control arm
and torque down the lower ball joint nut to 81 ft-lbs. The upper ball joint is very similar to the lower ball joint in that it will need to be pressed
out of the upper control arm in order to replace it. Once you can the new upper ball joint in place and everything is ready to go be sure to torque down
the upper ball joint nut to 37 ft-lbs plus an additional 90 degree turn.
GMC Sierra 1500 Lower Ball Joint to Knuckle Torque Spec : 81 ft-lbs
GMC Sierra 1500 Upper Ball Joint to Knuckle Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs + 90°
Front Control arms Installation
Lower Control Arm
On the GMC Sierra 1500 there are two control arms being the upper and lower control arms. Both of which have 3 fasteners that
hold the part onto the vehicle. There are 2 bolts with nuts that hold the control arms to the vehicle frame. There is also a ball joint which
fastens the control arms to the steering knuckle. On the upper control arm the frame bolts need to be tightened up to 140 ft-lbs. The ball joint nut
gets tightened down to 37 ft-lbs plus an additional 90 degree turn. On the lower control arm the frame bolts get tightened down to 129 ft-lbs. The lower ball joint nut gets tightened down
to 81 ft-lbs. When tightening up the lower control arm fasteners be sure to set the wheel height to a level that it would be at during riding or when on the
ground. This is best done with a bottle jack under the suspension.
GMC Sierra 1500 Lower Arm Ball Joint Torque Spec : 81 ft-lbs
GMC Sierra 1500 Lower Arm Frame Bolts Torque Spec : 129 ft-lbs
GMC Sierra 1500 Upper Arm Ball Joint Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs + 90°
GMC Sierra 1500 Upper Arm Frame Bolts Torque Spec : 140 ft-lbs
Front Strut Installation
To replace the front struts on the GMC Sierra 1500 you will need to lift the vehicle up into the air and start by removing the tire on the side you want to replace.
With that removed we can now remove the bolts and nuts
that hold the strut to the vehicle frame and lower control arm. Starting with the lower bolts we simply remove the nuts from one side and then
lightly guide the bolts through the hole on the control arm. Be sure not to ruin any of the bolt threads if you end up using a hammer to
tap it out. With the bottom bolts removed we can move to the upper nut which holds the strut to the vehicles frame. Once off the old strut should be removable
from the vehicle. To install the new strut simply place it into the location as the old one and begin to hand tighten up the upper nut and the lower bolts.
Once all the fasteners have been hand tighten you can torque down the strut upper nuts to 37 ft-lbs. The lower bolts can be torqued down to 37 ft-lbs.
GMC Sierra 1500 Front Strut Upper Nuts Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs
GMC Sierra 1500 Front Strut Lower Bolts Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs
Front Swaybar Installation
The front swaybar on the GMC Sierra 1500 consists of a series of brackets that hold it to the frame of the
vehicle and a couple of endlink nuts that fasten it the the outer side of the car. To remove
the swaybar you will need to jack up the front of the vehicle and remove both the endlink nuts as well as the
brackets. To install the new swaybar you will need to move it back into the place as the old one
and torque the endlink nuts to 17 ft-lbs and then torque the bracket bolts to 37 ft-lbs as well.
GMC Sierra 1500 Front Swaybar Bracket Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs
GMC Sierra 1500 Front Swaybar Endlinks Torque Spec : 17 ft-lbs