Upper Ball Joints

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Rustyfish

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So the upper ball joints I got with my front end rebuild kit (not PST) do not thread positively into my Upper Control Arms. They are the smaller size for my '66 Barracuda. Has anyone else experienced this? I would rather buy a name brand that would actually thread in the way the originals did.
 
I recently did my front end with a PST kit.

The upper ball joint fit is not what I call a typical Unified Thread Standard fit. Threads in the control arms are very shallow. It was a challenge to get them going in straight. And, just like they are hard turning all the way out, they are hard going in from the start to the finish. Guess that's part of how they stay tight.
 
Yea I guess that's how it will be. I will say the originals that I just removed came out very smoothly and easily once I broke it's grip.
 
Dang, mine were a ***** from the time they started moving until they were all the way out. Interested to hear what others think.
 
They generally do not turn real easy or smooth in or out. If you screw them in and your not feeling they will stay in there you can tack weld them in. 2-3 spots. Just put the weld where you can grind them off should you do it again at a later date.
 
3/4" impact wrench takes them right out and puts them right back in. just make sure you stop when the ball joint hits the control arm or you can strip the treads.
 
Can you tack weld them in to make sure they don't come out while keeping a wet rag on the joint to keep it cool??
 
Can you tack weld them in to make sure they don't come out while keeping a wet rag on the joint to keep it cool??
Yea, I'd prefer not to have to tack weld them. We'll see what happens when I get there.

Just got the bushings pressed back in, starting to come back together.

Question:

I took out the cam bolts with the nuts on the outside. Is that how they are supposed to be? Tried to find it in the manual but no luck so far.
 
Can you tack weld them in to make sure they don't come out while keeping a wet rag on the joint to keep it cool??
You can wrap the boot with a wet rag if you want. But if you tack weld them you won't generate that much heat to melt them. The heat will spread thru out the steel. Just don't run a long bead.
 
Yea, I'd prefer not to have to tack weld them. We'll see what happens when I get there.

Just got the bushings pressed back in, starting to come back together.

Question:

I took out the cam bolts with the nuts on the outside. Is that how they are supposed to be? Tried to find it in the manual but no luck so far.
Nuts on the outside is correct.
 
You can wrap the boot with a wet rag if you want. But if you tack weld them you won't generate that much heat to melt them. The heat will spread thru out the steel. Just don't run a long bead.
That's right..... you just tack a spot in 3-4 places with a MiG or stick welder. This was (and probably still is) done for Chevy truck lower ball joints if the pressed hole in the arm gets worn. It's a common trick up where the roads are rough all year long and the ball joints get beat up and R&R'd a lot. (WV, central PA)
 
Once I got the arm in, I put the air impact to it and it drilled down in really tight, so I think I'm good.
 
One thing I learned many years ago is an easy way to grab the same thread that was originally cut. I learned this on self-tapping screws, but the ball joints follow the same procedure. Rotate them backwards until the joint falls into the first thread, then screw them in. The feel is obvious. Less chance of cross-threading and other problems.
 
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