Jeep Wrangler front end rebuild cost

The front end of your Jeep Wrangler is directly connected to the suspension and steering. It’s so common that they can damage due to extreme pressure after a couple of thousand times. If any front-end kit is damaged, you need to access the whole parts. So, it’s always better to repair them at once to get rid of yourself hassle-free.

As the Jeep Wrangler front end rebuild process requires replacing several parts, you might get confused regarding the cost. You can expect around $750 except for the labor cost for the Jeep Wrangler front end rebuild.

In the below guide, we’ll discuss in-depth the pricing part-wise, which will help you make a list properly. Also, you’ll know answers to some common queries regarding front-end rebuilds on Jeep Wrangler.

Can I rebuild my Jeep Wrangler front end?

If you know what you’re doing, you can easily rebuild the front end of your Jeep Wrangler. As you’re only going to refresh those components, there isn’t any reason to spend extra money on labor costs. 

Also, aside from the ball joints, other parts are quite easy to install by yourself and don’t need any special equipment. Replacing the ball joints isn’t all that hard, but a little bit more complicated than the rest of the steering components, and you need to use a ball joint press and adapter fitting to replace the part.

But, if you don’t have any mechanical experience and have never worked on your own Jeep vehicle before, then it isn’t the place you should start. Also, if you feel apprehensive about doing such a type of repair, then it’ll be better to leave it for a professional.

Why should you rebuild the Wrangler front end?

You need to rebuild the front end of your Jeep Wrangler when you notice a few parts are damaged. If you need to change any part in the front end, it’s always better to change the full panel once as you need to separate all panels.

Also, if you own a 1997 and newer Jeep Wrangler, then there is a possibility you’re going to witness Death Wobble, which can be deadly for you. The Death Wobble causes front-end oscillations and makes steering somewhat difficult. It feels like it is going to shake the vehicle apart.

So, if you witness that death wobble, you should inspect the front end of your vehicle and, if necessary, rebuild the front end. Here is the culprit of Dead Wobble:

• Worn ball joints
• Steering dampener damaged
• Faulty track bar end 
• Track bar bushing
• Worn-out control arm bushing
• Poor wheel balance
• misalignment

Jeep Wrangler front end rebuild cost

You can expect around $750 for parts cost if you want to rebuild the front end. If you live in a country like Australia, you need to spend two or three times more than an American, as the Jeep parts are more costly in other countries than in the USA. Also, the labor cost will depend on your location, and they’ll charge you an hourly rate.

Below is a product-specific pricing chart to help you understand how much you should spend on each part. Also, the list price will vary according to brands and your location and the year model.

Parts	Quantity	Price (around)
Track Bar	1	65.77
Track Bar Bushing	1	9.99
Drag Link Kit	1	100.00
Steering Stabilizer	1	54.14
Sway Bar Link Kit	1	55.38
Sway Bar Bushing Set	1	24.99
Front Upper Control Arm	2	59.98
Front Lower Control Arm	2	69.98
Front Upper Control Arm Axle Bushing	2	23.70
Ball Joint Kit	2	88.58
Right Tie Rod End	1	23.99
Left Tie Rod End	1	31.99
Front Wheel Hub	2	127.98
Total:		$736.47

How to rebuild the Jeep Wrangler front end?

Here is a simple guide to a Jeep Wrangler front end rebuild, and it’ll help you maintain the rebuilding order.

Initial disassembly: 

When you get all the front-end parts, jack up your vehicle and take off the front wheels and the steering linkage. Also, take parts gap measurements to do the alignment task properly. For example, write down the measurement distance from the tie rod end to the bolt center on each tie rod.

Ball joints, sway bar

After removing the wheel hubs, you need to pull the U-joints and half axles, and they will come apart from the structure. Then, you can easily remove the steering knuckle, which is mounted with the ball joints.

Then, inspect both upper and lower ball joints and, if needed, replace them. You should use a ball joint press for the replacement task. The ball joint replacement part is more complicated than other front-end parts, and it’ll take around two hours.

After replacing the ball joints, start with sway bar links and bushings. Then, reinstall the steering knuckle.

Track bar and Wheel hubs

Then, replace the track bar. Pull the axle toward the car driver’s side, and you can do it with a ratcheting tie-down strap. Then, use the ball joint press to remove factory busing and do the replacement using your hand.

You can reinstall the wheel hubs after attacking the linkage and steering knuckles in their place. Then, start bolting the hubs from the back side of the brake rotors.

Control arms

Removing and replacing the control arm is quite easy. You should start with the lower control arm. When reinstalling the bolts, you are required to pull it to the rear with a tie-down ratcheting.

Then, you should remove the upper control arm, which is quite the same as the lower control arm. But, you’ll have difficulty replacing the driver-side bushings due to obstacles created by other parts. The good thing is passenger side bushing is easy to remove due to the make and geometry of the bracket. Then, reinstall the new bushing, the second most time-consuming task.

Final assembly and alignment

After the control arm is replaced and the steering linkage assembled, remount the tires and remove the jack stand. Then, tighten the sway bar bushing bolts and check other parts. Then, consult with a professional for alignment tasks.

How long does it take to rebuild a Jeep Wrangler front end?

The rebuild time will vary according to the mechanic’s expertise. After accomplishing the rebuild task, the alignment is also necessary, which is time-consuming. So, you can expect around 4 to 7 hours to rebuild a Jeep Wrangler front along with alignment time.

Identify your Jeep Wrangler front end parts

If you’re a beginner in the Jeep community and want to do some front-end rebuild tasks on your car, you’ll find it a little hard to identify what parts are considered on the front end. So, here is a visual guide which will help you to identify front-end parts: 

Final words

If you experience shakes in the front end of your car, you need to rebuild it. To rebuild, you already know that you should replace several parts. So, I hope the above guide will help you know the actual cost you should bear to rebuild the front end of your Jeep Wrangler.

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