painting control arms

TrailBeast said

There sure are threads in the control arm where the joint screws in, and is one reason why they make a socket for them.
They just are not very deep like a bolt thread, as mentioned.
He meant spot the joint in the control arm, which has always been an acceptable fix.
BTW, it's impossible for them to fall out unless the ball comes out of the socket.

Click to expand...

A new control arm does not have threads, the ball joint has a thread that is not very deep and once you screw a ball joint in it leaves an indent of a thread, I worked in a front end shop from 1977 - 84 and in 89 - 95 was a service manager of a front end specialty shop so I have seen it all in these old cars and I have fixed butchard up cars that a so called alignment shop fixed, one was a welded upper ball joint that came up out of the control arm and you are right it can't come all the way out but the control arm was at the bottom of the joint on the spindle and that gave it a ton of play, like 4" in and out and front to rear and every other point at the top of the tire. So I don't tell someone I don't know to weld a ball joint especially if I cant see it first hand.