possibly screwed up my upper control arm today

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snowmobiler7c

snowmobiler7c

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I am rebuilding the whole front end on my 70 swinger and swaping to the kelsey hayes style disc brakes at the same time. When i first got the parts i sandblasted and painted everything with POR15. I am now reassembling the parts. When i got the uppers the ball joints were already removed. I thought they were threaded in but started to screw in the new ball joint and only got it hand started a small amount, then just a little more with a pipe wrench. So i decided to grab the manual i have laying around. It says to reinstall the upper ball joints to press them in. Thats what i did with the first upper control arm. I then stoped at the second arm and got online to find out the damn book must have a misprint. So now i have one control arm with a brand new pressed in ball joint. Should it be ok??? The joint is in there super tight i cant see having it pop out. I tried the pipe wrench and cant get it to turn either direction no matter how hard i turn the wrench. Im thinking it should probley be fine but the arm will be junk if it ever needs to be replaced in the future, just looking for some opinions before i throw it all back together

By the way i was able to get the second ball joint in properly in the threads.

thanks for any input
Mark
 
That pressed in one may be toast but I would try welding it. That way it's good until next time. Then when it wears out, Replace the UCA with a loaded one. As long as you get the other side started straight by hand, Just screw it on and it'll be golden. Cross threading is the killer of these Ball Joints.
 
If its in good and st right just tack weld it in you will be fine,and yes thats a miss print next time just ask FABO we have the wright answers.
 
BTW, the bottoms are pressed in If I remember correctly. They gotta be done nice and straight or they'll be junk.
 
ok thanks guys i will go tack weld it in there after dinner. Wish i would have known it was a misprint earlier. I thought it seemed wrong but figured the book was smarter than I was. Oh well ya the lowers are bolted on but the lower control arm bushing's were pressed in i had no problems pressing in all the bushings. Thanks guys
 
I have the $100 cure for you....my unused tubular uppers with ball joints already in, and adjustable mounts.
 
Thanks 71Dusterdan but i just tack welded it to the control arm so i think i should be good. In the future if i ever have to change the ball joint i have another set of upper control arms, but they are in need of being disassembled from the spindle, new bushings and need to be blasted. Otherwise i would have used them. Should be a good deal for someone espically if you have moog balljoints i know mine wernt cheap.

hemi71x the book i read that in about the ball joints is an old haynes manual, its the smaller green book for slant 6 cars says 1967-1976. Seems to cover most darts under the suspension and steering chapter. Under balljoints its says
step4 the balljoint is splined into the suspension arm to prevent it from rotating
step5 press the balljoint from the arm using a press or a vise and tubular distance pieces
step6 if the original arm is being retained, align the splines of the new balljoint with those already cut into the arm and presss it fully into position.

So after reading it again im sure when they keep saying press they meant using the correct tool to screw it on the control arm(not an actual press) and when they say splines they meant what i would consider threads. I just figured if it had to be pressed out it had to be pressed in. Lesson learned i should have checked the forum before preceding on pressing in the balljoints. The worst part is i was doing it correctly until it got hard to screw into the control arm.
Thanks guys
 
Thats a miss-print, sounds like it should be in a GM manual, GM's are done that way. Tac welding it in wont hurt nothing. On the circle track cars I work on, an GM that hasn't converted to a screw in BJ have to be tack welded in to stay in place, they will come out....LOL Here is a way to fix striped threads in a A-frame too... I cut them in half so 1 makes 2 and then the threaded length is about the same as the stock stamped threads. UBM40-3303 is the part # I do believe for a disc brake upper BJ...
http://www.laneautomotive.com/catalog-viewer?cat=57
 
That's just one of the many errors you'll find in the Hayes manual. Chilton is the same but not quite as bad. Pick up a Factory Service Manual and forget about having to second guess anything.

Back on topic, I just had to tack weld both of my ball joints because there were hardly any threads left after screwing them out. They would thread back on but it almost felt like they were cross threading the whole way down. After I got them seated straight, I just did a small tack weld on all 4 sides of the joint and they were good to go.
 
Another nod for the Factory Service Manual. I have a fairly extensive library of manuals, but I will NOT buy Haynes or Chilton. Factory, National Service, or Motor in that order.
 
Jim Lusk said:
Another nod for the Factory Service Manual. I have a fairly extensive library of manuals, but I will NOT buy Haynes or Chilton. Factory, National Service, or Motor in that order.
Click to expand...

Good info right there............
 
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