Need highest quality lower ball joint

Posted By: Uhcoog1

Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/14/15 10:39 PM

Well, after singing their praises, my raybestos professional grade lower ball joints now have some play in them (after 6500 miles, a dozen or so track days, etc). I need a quality replacement. What's my best bet?

Thanks
Wade

Posted By: Uhcoog1

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/14/15 10:41 PM

Lots of ideas in this thread:
https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/show...rue#Post8410666

Just curious who's found long term success when running hard

Posted By: Dan@Hotchkis

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/14/15 11:37 PM

We are fans of the Pro-forged pieces.

Posted By: Uhcoog1

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 06:01 AM

Thanks Dan.

Did yall have problems with moog lower ball joints specifically? Or the uppers?

Posted By: RylisPro

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 07:25 AM

I don't think a high performance lower ball joint for Mopars exists.
I have no experience with the ProForged lowers though...
We may just have to compromise with stock replacements and change them out accordingly

Posted By: Porter67

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 07:40 AM

Maybe QA1? I was just looking through a jegs parts book and in the pic looked like the std. style most of us might use. Maybe?

Posted By: Uhcoog1

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 02:05 PM

Quote:

I don't think a high performance lower ball joint for Mopars exists.
I have no experience with the ProForged lowers though...
We may just have to compromise with stock replacements and change them out accordingly

I'm open to trying pro forged. Though I would appreciate something local.

The moog 'made in America' lower ball joints looked pretty good in your other post. They are actually 'made in America' vs 'assembled in America' yes? I wonder if all the moog lower ball joints are still 'made in America'?

Also- did you call Howe to ask if they make or would make a lower ball joint for Mopars?

Thanks

Posted By: RylisPro

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 04:25 PM

Who knows if Moog is actually Made in USA or not?

Howe makes a screw in lower ball joint for Chrysler
https://www.howeracing.com/c-583-screw-in-chrysler-lowers.aspx
Not sure how this works exactly?

As for Moog or Howe making a direct replacement heavy duty racing lower ball joint for our cars, I only see that happening when a huge amount of Mopars are being driven around corners

Posted By: Supercuda

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 05:24 PM

K 179 fits

CHRYSLER 300 (1962 - 1964)
CHRYSLER CORDOBA (1975 - 1983)
CHRYSLER FIFTH AVENUE (1983 - 1989)
CHRYSLER IMPERIAL (1981 - 1983)
CHRYSLER LEBARON (1977 - 1981)
CHRYSLER NEW YORKER (1963 - 1982)
CHRYSLER NEWPORT (1961 - 1981)
CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY (1963 - 1964)
CHRYSLER WINDSOR (1958 - 1961)
DODGE 880 (1963 - 1964)
DODGE ASPEN (1976 - 1980)
DODGE CHARGER (1973 - 1978)
DODGE CORONET (1957 - 1976)
DODGE CUSTOM (1957 - 1959)
DODGE DART (1960 - 1961)
DODGE DIPLOMAT (1977 - 1989)
DODGE MAGNUM (1978 - 1979)
DODGE MATADOR 1960
DODGE MIRADA (1980 - 1983)
DODGE MONACO (1977 - 1978)
DODGE POLARA (1960 - 1961)
DODGE SIERRA 1959
DODGE ST. REGIS (1979 - 1981)
DODGE SUBURBAN (1957 - 1958)
PLYMOUTH BELVEDERE (1957 - 1961)
PLYMOUTH CARAVELLE (1978 - 1989)
PLYMOUTH FURY (1957 - 1978)
PLYMOUTH GRAN FURY (1980 - 1989)
PLYMOUTH PLAZA (1957 - 1958)
PLYMOUTH ROADRUNNER (1973 - 1975)
PLYMOUTH SATELLITE (1973 - 1974)
PLYMOUTH SAVOY (1957 - 1961)
PLYMOUTH SPORT WAGON (1960 - 1961)
PLYMOUTH SUBURBAN (1957 - 1961)
PLYMOUTH VOLARE (1976 - 1980)

K727 fits

CHRYSLER 300 (1960 - 1961)
CHRYSLER IMPERIAL (1960 - 1966)
CHRYSLER NEW YORKER (1960 - 1962)
CHRYSLER SARATOGA 1960
DODGE B100 (1971 - 1980)
DODGE B150 (1981 - 1994)
DODGE B200 (1971 - 1980)
DODGE B250 (1981 - 1994)
DODGE B300 (1971 - 1980)
DODGE B350 (1981 - 1994)
DODGE CB300 (1974 - 1980)
DODGE D100 PICKUP (1972 - 1989)
DODGE D150 PICKUP (1977 - 1993)
DODGE D200 PICKUP (1975 - 1980)
DODGE RAMCHARGER (1974 - 1993)
PLYMOUTH PB100 (1975 - 1980)
PLYMOUTH PB100 VAN 1974
PLYMOUTH PB150 (1981 - 1983)
PLYMOUTH PB200 (1975 - 1980)
PLYMOUTH PB200 VAN 1974
PLYMOUTH PB250 (1981 - 1983)
PLYMOUTH PB300 (1975 - 1980)
PLYMOUTH PB300 VAN 1974
PLYMOUTH PB350 (1981 - 1983)
PLYMOUTH TRAILDUSTER (1974 - 1981)

All of these have the ball joint in the LCA not the steering arm.

Posted By: Uhcoog1

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 06:29 PM

Barring any new options: O'reilly's will have a pair of moog for me today. If they state 'made in america', I'll probably use them as I can put them in today. If they aren't clearly made in America, I'll order proforged.

Has anyone killed a set of moog or proforged yet? Or put them through the ringer and not have a failure?

Posted By: RylisPro

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 06:55 PM

I have the Moog K781 and K783 on my car right now although they don't have many miles on them.
I am going to drop my K frame soon and will report back

Posted By: ntstlgl1970

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 08:07 PM

Quote:

Well, after singing their praises, my raybestos professional grade lower ball joints now have some play in them (after 6500 miles, a dozen or so track days, etc). I need a quality replacement. What's my best bet?

Thanks
Wade

How much play did they have? There is a spec somewhere, just wondering if you are over spec or not.

Posted By: Uhcoog1

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 10:10 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Well, after singing their praises, my raybestos professional grade lower ball joints now have some play in them (after 6500 miles, a dozen or so track days, etc). I need a quality replacement. What's my best bet?

Thanks
Wade

How much play did they have? There is a spec somewhere, just wondering if you are over spec or not.

It moves enough that I want to replace it before getting an alignment and putting new track rubber on the car. Lower ball joints are a lot cheaper than hoosier tires.

Posted By: Lefty

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/15/15 10:57 PM

I don't think any of the "stock replacement" ball joints will last very long on a sticky tire track car.

Posted By: TC@HP2

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/16/15 01:26 AM

Quote:

I don't think any of the "stock replacement" ball joints will last very long on a sticky tire track car.

With today's offshore manufacturing, I tend to agree.

Best approach may be to hog out the ball joint in a lower steering arm set up and bore/weld/install a threaded sleeve for an upper ball joint so you can have fixed steering arms and a removeable ball joint that can be easily replaced.

This is similar to how most oval track set ups are these days, which actually very closely resemble 73-80 B body lowers.

Posted By: ntstlgl1970

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/16/15 03:09 AM

I was just wondering because you probably put more track time on your car with stock suspension other than Hotchkis and MoparMitch. I plan to put a lot more miles on mine once it's back together so maybe I need to get a couple spare sets ....

Posted By: Uhcoog1

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/16/15 03:42 AM

Quote:

I was just wondering because you probably put more track time on your car with stock suspension other than Hotchkis and MoparMitch. I plan to put a lot more miles on mine once it's back together so maybe I need to get a couple spare sets ....

Ah. Gotcha.

Honestly I could push them further.

I'm going to go with pro forge as Dan recommended.

Posted By: Mopar Mitch

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/16/15 03:55 PM

Another choice to consider are TRW suspension parts. Historically, TRW has been the primary OE domestic parts suspension supplier and "Made in America" accordingly; Moog is diminantly aftermarket and has an excellent reputation, especially for introducing their "Problem Solver" parts that are intended to fix notorious aftermarket, as well as some OE, common and repeated problems. Unfortunately, for many suppliers, they've been changing their manufacturing oversease simply for cost reductions to compete against other imported lower-cost suppliers, and... you pay for what you get.

Posted By: moparx

Re: Need highest quality lower ball joint - 03/17/15 02:32 AM

Quote:

Quote:

I don't think any of the "stock replacement" ball joints will last very long on a sticky tire track car.

With today's offshore manufacturing, I tend to agree.

Best approach may be to hog out the ball joint in a lower steering arm set up and bore/weld/install a threaded sleeve for an upper ball joint so you can have fixed steering arms and a removeable ball joint that can be easily replaced.

This is similar to how most oval track set ups are these days, which actually very closely resemble 73-80 B body lowers.

upper joints are not designed to be the "load bearing" joint. you need a lower screw in joint such as a K719 or K727. the 719 joint is the same thread as the upper K772 joint, while the K727 is the larger diameter threads that i think are the same as the K778 upper joint used in C bodies and pickups.