DIY Worn Bushings replaced at lower front shocks

My 2015 PreRunner made 94,200 miles, on my second year as a new owner bought used from a previous owner in Florida (so unsure how well they maintained it or if they drove through mud and water over there).
And Now my Tacoma was making a metallic clicking and clunking sound from the front whenever I drove over a speed bump. It became a bit worse towards the end when it clicked in simple speedy turns as well.

I asked Tacoma World for some advice and Topanga Taco helped me narrow down what I needed to do. Turns out the bushings are worn, specifically the bushings in the lower front shocks that connects the bottom part of the shock with the lower control arms.


I ordered some a pair of new bushings from

$34 Pair Set of 2 Front Lower Shock Absorber Bushings for Toyota Tacoma 4WD

Moog (which seems pretty much very similar to OEM), as well as beefier pair of bolts, nuts and washers from BelMetric. I dug this info out from this posting, where someone else was also working on the same components:

1. Moog Pair Set of 2 Front Lower Shock Absorber Bushings for Toyota Tacoma 4WD
2. Hex Flange Bolt 10.9 Fine M14X1.5 / 18mm Wrench DIN 6921
3. Fender Washer HV 140 Steel DIN 7349
4. Flange Nut Smooth Class 10 Fine Thread Steel DIN 6923

I additionally purchased a cheap Ball Joint Press Tool from Amazon in hopes that this would help.

I started by taking off the front wheels. It helps to turn your wheels for better access to the front lower shocks and bushings.
Once the connecting bolt and washer were taken out, we used a tiny bit of gentle force with a Rubber mallet to dislodge the lower end of the bushing from the pocket it sits in on the lower control arm, so we can press the bushing out.
(Forgive the following images, my brother took some of these on his iPhone)


It took plenty of brawn, diligence and force, but my Father and I managed to pull out the bushing on passenger side. Anti-rust penetrator and lubricant helped a bit. We were careful to not knock anything important, like the ABS and brake cables along the struts.


Here's a close up of that worn bushing,



Now, we had to replace the worn out bushings. We gently pressed the new bushing into the lower shock, careful not to bite into the rubber of the new bushing as we pressed it all the way in. We were also super focused on keeping the tool kit completely straight as we pressed it all the way in. In retrospect, a handheld clamp with a handle or a vice grip would've been super helpful with this
Once that was accomplished with plenty of patience, we had to guide the lower shock back into the pocket of the lower control arm. Again, we should've used a vice grip to keep things straight. In the absence of one, we used a screwdriver instead to drive in the new beefier bolt correctly.



Then it was pretty much easy to mount the washer and bolt, and then re-tightened the bolt to ~85 ft./lbs. I wish I had this guide earlier to help with torque specifications.

We proceeded to do driver side as well, and being tired from already working the other side, this took a bit longer. Still, in the darkening of an increasingly cold night, we managed. Here is the old driver side bushing and the undersized bolt washer and nut:


On inserting the new bushing on the driver side, it took us forever to keep the press tool straight while reinserting into the lower shock. Again, we should've brought a vice grip or some type of clamp.
After some brawn, fueled by the rage of how long we were taking and refusal to surrender to the NYC winter, we finally managed.

Here is the results in the morning after:




Some remaining debris and gunk was left from using all that rust penetrator and lubricant, as well as some metal shavings from forcing the old bushing and bolt out. Some smart pressure washing knocked that gunk out.
Unfortunately, the cheap Ball Joint Press Tool from Amazon was bent towards the end, so at least we were fortunate that it lasted the entirety of our little job here, but doubt it'll be useful in the future.