Weld the upper ball joint in ?

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grassy

grassy

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I have been told by quite a few folks who have worked on A bodies that after I put the upper ball joint in the upper control arm, that I should put a spot weld in it to keep it in place.

That sounds a bit radical to me...maybe blue or red loctite instead ?

I also notice (and I asked this question where I bought the pieces) that the ball joint leaves quite a space above the knuckle when inserted. I was told that the seal which fills with grease takes up this difference and I should just torque the but to what ever the specification is.

Thoughts ?

Thanks
ian.
 
If the threads on your UCA is good there is no need to weld it, just torque it to spec. You could use Loc-tite if you want. The dust boot does cover the area your are talking about.
 
Thank-you. I just checked mine again and one is really good and one is medium.

I appreciate the help. Never quite sure when the old fellers are pulling my chain.

Ian :)
 
i always put a couple tack welds on mine when i replaced the ball joint its better to be safe then sorry ive heard of 2 many poppin out after being replaced.
 
moparfan68 said:
i always put a couple tack welds on mine when i replaced the ball joint its better to be safe then sorry ive heard of 2 many poppin out after being replaced.
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We have all heard of something or read of something happening but I have yet to see it first hand. I have been a Mopar freak since 1965 and I have had about a dozen and still have a Mopar and will always have one. I have replaced several upper ball joints and I always heard this story, yet I still can't name anyone who this has happened too. Loctite, sure can't hurt, but welding is a little extreme in, MHO.
 
cuda67 said:
We have all heard of something or read of something happening but I have yet to see it first hand. I have been a Mopar freak since 1965 and I have had about a dozen and still have a Mopar and will always have one. I have replaced several upper ball joints and I always heard this story, yet I still can't name anyone who this has happened too. Loctite, sure can't hurt, but welding is a little extreme in, MHO.
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Well, now you can. That is a brand new ball joint in a brand new upper control arm, installed by a Master Power employee. We got about twenty five miles on it, and then noticed a binding when we tried to turn right. Pulled it all apart and this is what we found.

I didn't have a ball joint socket, so we took the control arm off and put the ball joint in a vice and snugged it but the best we could. Four equal tack welds around the edges and it's better than new!
 
BrianT said:
Well, now you can. That is a brand new ball joint in a brand new upper control arm, installed by a Master Power employee. We got about twenty five miles on it, and then noticed a binding when we tried to turn right. Pulled it all apart and this is what we found.

I didn't have a ball joint socket, so we took the control arm off and put the ball joint in a vice and snugged it but the best we could. Four equal tack welds around the edges and it's better than new!
Click to expand...


Reproduction China upper control arm? The threads on the ball joint look nasty or over tightened with part of the UCA still attached.
 
When I did mine I noticed one went in easier than the other. That one got tack welds. Easy to grind them off. Peace of mind.
 
Yep tack weld them...simply grind the welds off next time you need to change them. I put new balljoint in my orig arm and it was as sloppy as Jenna Jameson...
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Reproduction China upper control arm? The threads on the ball joint look nasty or over tightened with part of the UCA still attached.
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I would imagine, I didn't call MP to ask. We just fixed it and moved on. My point was that it does happen, even with brand new parts.
 
Usually That happens because ... when installed ... they are over torqued ( airgun).....Or of course wheel stands ...
 
If the threads are in good shape and the ball joint can be tightened good tacks welds are probably overkill. They'll be rust-stuck real good in a few months anyhow. If the threads are stripped, which is a common result of somebody pressing out the ball joints, tack welds are the standard fix.

The upper ball joint doesn't carry weight, so no need to go nuts, a small tack should be plenty.
 
I think most of the failures are due to rust. The male threads on the ball joint are exposed out the bottom. If those threads are seriously corroded and someone uses the impact from hell to back the ball joint out, the weaker female ( material reference not gender ) threads in the arm can be destroyed.
 
RedFish said:
I think most of the failures are due to rust. The male threads on the ball joint are exposed out the bottom. If those threads are seriously corroded and someone uses the impact from hell to back the ball joint out, the weaker female ( material reference not gender ) threads in the arm can be destroyed.
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Xs2. I have never had to weld one but we don't have a serious rust problem either. As with anything soaking down the threads with a good penetrating oil for several days always makes things come apart easier with less chance of damage.
 
I put a suspension kit in a 67 Valiant and the threads in both the control arms were shot to the point where there were hardly threads anymore. The ball joints threaded in but it was more like they were just cutting their own threads into the control arm. Was forced to tack weld both ball joints in for piece of mind. Figured it'll need another set of A arms anyway if I ever have to do them again.
 
What ever you do dont weld all the way around i got a parts car for the bbp and one of the uca's was welded all the way around
 
Does the welding hurt the ball joint. Do I put grease in the ball joint first.

Unfortunately, the one thing I don't do is welding so I'll take it out.

Thanks
Ian.
 
Tack welding the upper ball joints was a common repair back in the day for new joints that didn't quite tighten up in original control arms....it was a problem..........
 
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