I have an extremely nice 1990 Civic DX 4-door 5-speed 1.5L with about 135K
miles. The rear trailing arm bushings (the big ones) are squeaking/creaking
and I'm contemplating a little suspension work. So ...

Should I go through the entire front and rear suspensions and replace ALL
the rubber items plus upper and lower ball joints? The job really doesn't
worry assuming I can get my hands on the proper tools.

What about those upper ball joints? Do they ever really go bad or not?
Would I be better off purchasing the upper a-arm assembly (that price looks
good when one considers the bushings and potential ball joint)?

Should I only replace the "main" bushings? What qualifies as "main"? Only
the big ones in the rear and only the two per side on the long lower arm?
More? What ones?

Are there any special tips/tricks I should know? I want to restore the
factory ride, handling and noise level (I'm not going to poly bushings!) and
would plan on purchasing genuine Honda parts. Is there anything I should
consider doing different ... different bushings in certain areas ...
whatever, but again, noise and ride quality are the top priorities ... this
won't be a race car for a long time ... if ever :-)

Now ... about those tools ...

I've seen a really neat tool for the rear trailing arm bushings from Schley.
What else is needed?

Can these be rented/borrowed from anywhere? Does the typical Auto Zone have
the required tools? Other sources? Or do I just have to really consider
buying a few tools.

Thanks a ton for any info!

Dave
'90 Civic - extremely nice
'91 Civic - beater
'89 Mustang GT