Disc brake ball joint question. Help!

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Jhenry70

Jhenry70

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So.... Feeling kinda dumb right now. I've got my front end apart and I'm gathering everything to go back together with BBP front disc brakes. Oh yeah, it's a 72 Duster. I've got stock UCA's and LCA's with 1977 Aspen spindles, hub/rotor and calipers. I'm using the stock upper ball joints with Dr Diff taper adapters and 1973 and up lower ball joints.

Here's my head scratcher, I know I need to get longer bolts for the lower ball joints to mate them up with the 77 spindles. But as I'm laying it all out on the bench I see that both the spindle and the lower ball joint mounting holes are both smooth bore, no threads. I had thought the ball joint holes were threaded on the donor car? Maybe I just spaced it and didn't grab the nuts or they got lost somewhere along the way. So am I correct in just buying the longer grade 8 bolts with nuts and locking washers to attach the lower ball joint???

Have I been staring at it too long, too tired or am I just missing something?

Help!!
 

A bodies aren't threaded,the other bodies are. Your on the ball,just tired lol
 
Yes your correct. On A body lower ball joints they bolt to the spindle with a nut. The spindles are NOT threaded. I just replaced the lower control arm bushings a few weeks ago in my 73 duster.So Ive got a fresh picture in my head. Haha. And just for the sake of saying it. The nut goes on the inside and the bolt head goes on the outside beneath the rotor. Atleast that's how it was when I took all of it apart.
 
Thanks so much for the replies!! Yeah I was a bit tired and there may have been some paint fumes lingering... :)

When I pulled the drums off a week ago I dropped everything out as a unit and didn't break everything apart so the ball joints were never taken off. My donor parts were pulled months ago and I have all new ball joints, bushings etc. so as I'm gathering everything to reassemble there's really no point of reference especially with non stock parts!

I'll be buying the longer bolts, washers and nuts today.

While I'm here I have one more question... With the drum brakes the brake line tab on the frame for the connection to the flexible line is behind the spindle. If any of you have done this disc brake conversion, which way did you mount the calipers, on the front or the rear of the rotor? Is there a flex line connected at the frame and then directly to the caliper or is there a union somewhere between like there is on the back of the drums?
 
To the rear. The flex line goes from the caliper to that bracket. Due to pic #2 it appears that mine are on wrong which would explain the lack of slack in the rubber hose. Don't do what I did lol. It does stop fine though.
 

Attachments

Mine are mounted on the front. The flex line runs under the top A arm. There is plenty of hose as its not even close to tight. But I also bought all new flex lines for disk brakes. I'm not sure if you can use the flex line from drums to disk coversion.
 
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