upper ball joint replacement

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Grumpyb

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Probably not the right place to post it but can't post where it should be , I bought the correct socket for my upper ball joint removal and got it to turn but the problem is it just keeps turning and wont come out , do I have to use a pickle fork or something after it turns out as far as it will go or is the something else I have to do , I don't have any pressure on it because it is on a rotisserie , I tried the other side also and it just un screws until it clicks which I'm assuming is the end of the threads .
 
Grumpyb said:
Probably not the right place to post it but can't post where it should be , I bought the correct socket for my upper ball joint removal and got it to turn but the problem is it just keeps turning and wont come out , do I have to use a pickle fork or something after it turns out as far as it will go or is the something else I have to do , I don't have any pressure on it because it is on a rotisserie , I tried the other side also and it just un screws until it clicks which I'm assuming is the end of the threads .
Click to expand...
Hammer n socket, Pop it out now.
If it's stripped... you'd have to spot weld them anyways or get new arms.
 
If it is just turning, I think the threads are shot. How hard is it to turn? I am not a suspension Expert, but I have done quite a few Mopar front end replacements. The threads on the ball joint and in the UCA are quite fine. It is not uncommon for the last person who installed a ball joint to have either cross threaded it and then over torqued it or possibly have pressed it in, not knowing that they were NOT press fit. I believe you have 2 options. 1) Find a good used UCA and use it. 2) Get your ball joint out, and weld a new one in. I've had my 69 Barracuda for over 30 years now, and i have done two complete restorations on it. The first time (it was a rough basket case when I first got it), was before internet, I had the same problem, and I was having trouble finding a used UCA. I used an impact wrench and eventually spun the ball joint to get it loose enough to get it out. Then I forced/pressed a ball joint all the way into the UCA and welded it in. Nothing wrong with that at all. It lasted about 20 years. After that, I blew it completely apart to paint it again, and easily found a good used UCA on the internet.
 
Did you remove the taper stud from the spindle first?
 
I'm sorry I don't what gaper stud you are talking about but it turns pretty easily on bothof them , the confusing part is if I try to tighten them they will both get tight again , I found a 3/4 in ball joint seperator at harbor freight and thought maybe that would push it out , I can't get the right angle on the stud to hit with a hammer, from other sites I've looked at it seems I have to push it out after I loosen it , since it's going to take me another year to finish ( I hope thats all ) that will be 3 , I am going to switch it to disk brakes and I'm not sure if I can even use the a arms or have to get different ones .
 
if i'm reading this correctly, you're trying to remove the ball joint from the upper arm and it is just spinning the the bore and won't unscrew past a certain point?

if this is the case, make sure that the spindle is fully free and removed from the ball joint. i'm guessing that it is, but never know... then get a wedge in between the "cap" of the ball joint and the UCA to apply some pressure and slowly turn it out. i've used screwdrivers, body tools and even a wooden stake to accomplish this. you'll likely have to reset several times, taking a little bite each time as you slowly move it out.

i'd verify that you need the UCA's for the swap before going any further. if not, then abandon ship and let that mess be somebody else's problem.
 
nly.com%2Fmopar-forum%2Fattachments%2Fimg_2737-jpg.jpg


This is what it should look like. A pickle fork or ball joint separator is NOT your friend.

Does yours look like this, or is the knuckle still installed?
 
Red is Taper that goes into the spindle.
Green is the threads that thread into the upper control arm.


Screenshot_20230420-211011.png



Red is the spindle
Blue is the ball joint nut side
Green is the upper control arm


Screenshot_20230420-210914.png
 
The knuckle is still attached, how do I get that off ? haven't done this for years and then it was all pickle fork and hammer.
 
Grumpyb said:
The knuckle is still attached, how do I get that off ? haven't done this for years and then it was all pickle fork and hammer.
Click to expand...
yeah man, you gotta bust that all loose. pickle fork is the best way, but sometimes you can get them to pop with a sharp blow from a BFH

make sure the tension is off the t-bars.
 
Thanks thats what I was thinking , torsion bars are still in but it's hanging on a rotisserie so there should't be any pressure on it.
 
Go to mymopar.com and down load your car's Factory service manual, or the year before or after.

I do not like pickle forks, there are ball joint separator tools at harbor freight, that work well.

I suspect that you might have stripped the upper controle arm but you will only know after you get the old one apart.
 
Loosen the pressure off the torsion bars with tensioner bolt underneath the lower control arm. Afterwards, remove the castle nut and cotter pin fron the upper ball joint. Use a pickle fork to seperate the upper a arm from the spindle. Use the ball joint socket to unscrew the ball joint.
 
Yunick13 said:
Loosen the pressure off the torsion bars with tensioner bolt underneath the lower control arm
Click to expand...
IMHO if you support the lower control arm and the body so it is all in a semi natural position you can safely remove the upper ball joint stud.

This tool worked 1000% better than a pickle fork.

Screenshot_20230420-225843.png
 
If the balljoint isn't separated from the spindle it will never come out and you are just going to waste the treads on the balljoint or control arm or both.
 
Well that was my first thought. The spindles were still attached. But I was thinking," No" There can't be anyone out there in the Mopar world that try that. And this car is on a rotisserie? Please post pictures of this build. I would love to follow.
 
tighten the ball joint back up, release torsion bar pressure, then seperate the spindle and unthread the ball joint
 
Grumpyb said:
yes thats the tool I mentioned earlier
Click to expand...
I missed that.

It is not a pickle fork, it applies pressure to the tapers stud, then a light tap to the side of the knuckle on the spindle and it should pop right out
 
Grumpyb said:
The knuckle is still attached, how do I get that off ?
Click to expand...
A fork may damage the boot if you need to save it.
Maybe try........
Unload torsion bar.
Loosen and back off the ball joint nut. Do not remove the nut.
Back up the knuckle with a heavy object or small sledge.
Strike the opposite side of the knuckle with a ball peen. The ball joint should come free from the knuckle.
Support the bake drum / knuckle assy. and remove the nut.
Lift the UCL up, remove the boot, and make sure it hasn't been tack welded from the bottom.


1682120155077.png
 
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