[mr48chev]

The front control arm bushings, ball joints and steering pieces are available at the regular parts house you frequent. No rocket science or special applications there just regular old suspension parts. Look for the better quality brands though.

You can also find them on Rock Auto and probably save a good chunk of change over buying locally unless you can get a buddy deal or good discount locally.

If it's a 73 early 74 front end the nuts may be tack welded on the shafts on the upper control arms. Some clown in purchasing at GM decided that the didn't need to pay extra for lock nuts for the upper control arms about that time and a lot came though without lock nuts and it wasn't long before the nuts started backing off. There was a recall at Pontiac at least where they sent out packages of lock nuts and washers and we changed them out on warranty. I changed a few hundred of them out that year.

You can get it apart the way it sits without an engine in it or the body on it but it will be pure hell to put the springs back in without the weight of the engine and body on the chassis to hold it down. It's near impossible to get the springs back in and the upper ball joint connected without the weight of the rest of the truck to help the process. I have never found a spring compressor that fits and works in that situation an of the thousands of GM front ends I had apart over the years I worked on them I never used a spring compressor on any of them. I used two truck tire irons to slip the spring in the lower control arm for years and then used two crow bars to do it later when I didn't have access to the truck tire irons anymore. If you are going to bag it it isn't a problem.

You need a ball joint press to change the lower ball joint and you can borrow/rent one at Autozone and not have to buy one. Harbor freight has cheap ones on sale once in a while if you want to buy one. The OTC unit I have cost about 250 when I bought it.

If I was going to take it all apart now an replace the bushings and what not an paint everything up I'd make some spacers to hold the truck at the ride height I wanted and put it back together without the springs and install the springs and shocks after the truck was far enough together to have the weight to help the process.