Upper Ball Joint question - Moparts Forums

Register Log In Moparts Forums Moparts Question and Answer Upper Ball Joint question

Print Thread

Page 1 of 2

1

2

Upper Ball Joint question #222418 02/12/09 07:14 PM 02/12/09 07:14 PM
Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland 1fastrunner OP top fuel
1fastrunner OP top fuel Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland	Thanks for all your suggestions in helping to loosen the top. I finally accomplished that, but now what? Do I just pry the top out? Sorry for the dumb questions, but I've never done this before. Jim

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: 1fastrunner] #222419 02/12/09 07:17 PM 02/12/09 07:17 PM
Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 374 CONNECTICUT R RoyceFlo73 enthusiast
RoyceFlo73 enthusiast R Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 374 CONNECTICUT	Auto zone or Advance Auto rent (for free) a ball joint press. It costs about 140 up front, but you have 90 days to bring it back and get all the money up front. Then you just follow the directions on the box, and it will press the ball joints out of the UCA This isn't a scheem, it's a rental tool program they run, so that they can sell parts. if you didnt have the tools they couldn't sell the parts.

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: 1fastrunner] #222420 02/12/09 07:24 PM 02/12/09 07:24 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 104,346 Garden Grove, CA OzHemi Penguin-hating Ginger
OzHemi Penguin-hating Ginger Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 104,346 Garden Grove, CA	Once you unscrew the upper ball joint, it should just fall out

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: 1fastrunner] #222421 02/12/09 07:27 PM 02/12/09 07:27 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,624 Eagle, Idaho Neil The Doctor is in.
Neil The Doctor is in. Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,624 Eagle, Idaho	Not familiar with your year and model of car, but on my 70 dart the upper ball joints just screw in and out of the upper control arms. Prying them out would be a no-no. You would ruin your chances of the new ones threading in properly. If your new ball joints are threaded then just keep turning on the old ones until they come out.

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: Neil] #222422 02/12/09 07:30 PM 02/12/09 07:30 PM
Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 374 CONNECTICUT R RoyceFlo73 enthusiast
RoyceFlo73 enthusiast R Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 374 CONNECTICUT	I had to press my ball joints in. They weren't threaded, they had parallel grooves that I had to press out.

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: RoyceFlo73] #222423 02/12/09 07:35 PM 02/12/09 07:35 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,624 Eagle, Idaho Neil The Doctor is in.
Neil The Doctor is in. Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,624 Eagle, Idaho	I assume the poster is talking about the road runner in his signature. That being the case I can't say for sure how the ball joints are attached on that type of car. I'd need to see them or at least have a service manual in front of me. I always thought mopars had a threaded upper ball joint.

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: Neil] #222424 02/12/09 07:45 PM 02/12/09 07:45 PM
Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland 1fastrunner OP top fuel
1fastrunner OP top fuel Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland	Yes, I believe they are threaded. I had to buy a special socket to get the top to unscrew. It screwed up some, but it seems to just spin now. Could it be all the way up and just a snug fit? I don't want to try to force it any if I'm going to damage anything. And yes, it's the '71 RoadRunner. Thanks, Jim

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: 1fastrunner] #222425 02/12/09 07:50 PM 02/12/09 07:50 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 104,346 Garden Grove, CA OzHemi Penguin-hating Ginger
OzHemi Penguin-hating Ginger Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 104,346 Garden Grove, CA	It should unscrew all the way. If it has stopped part way like you said, might be worth a try to push upward on the ball joint as you unscrew it. Perhaps use a piece of wood under the stud of the ball joint, as you push down on the control arm and hit it with an impact wrench then.

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: OzHemi] #222426 02/12/09 10:10 PM 02/12/09 10:10 PM
Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 36,041 Lincoln Nebraska R RapidRobert Circle Track
RapidRobert Circle Track R Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 36,041 Lincoln Nebraska	they thread in and out. The new one CAN be a bit hard to start as they design an interference fit so it stays put so just make sure you start it "square" & I put some grease on the threads to ease future dissassembly. Some are self threading & cut their own threads but none(of our Mopars) are meant to be pressed in or out. live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: RapidRobert] #222427 02/12/09 11:24 PM 02/12/09 11:24 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 21,074 Niles , Ohio T therocks oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
therocks oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah. T Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 21,074 Niles , Ohio	If you press any uppers in a old Mopar the arms are junk period.They all screw in.Rocky Chrysler Firepower

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: therocks] #222428 02/13/09 07:56 PM 02/13/09 07:56 PM
Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,319 Chicago Burbs sthemi master
sthemi master Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,319 Chicago Burbs	Have you removed the nut from the bottom and used a ball joint fork to seperate the arm (ball joint stud) from the spindle casting? Video Little Red Wagon Indy Nats,BurnoutContest

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: sthemi] #222429 02/13/09 11:42 PM 02/13/09 11:42 PM
Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland 1fastrunner OP top fuel
1fastrunner OP top fuel Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland	I removed the nut from the bottom, and used the socket to unscrew the top. It has stopped coming up even though it's still rotates. I didn't try to pry it out yet because I didn't want to mess up any threads by mistake. So, I just need to pry it out? Jim

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: sthemi] #222430 02/14/09 12:11 AM 02/14/09 12:11 AM
Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 905 SD Z zrxkawboy super stock
zrxkawboy super stock Z Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 905 SD	Quote: Have you removed the nut from the bottom and used a ball joint fork to seperate the arm (ball joint stud) from the spindle casting? +1 It's Swifty! Swifty, you toad sucker!

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: zrxkawboy] #222431 02/14/09 12:59 AM 02/14/09 12:59 AM
Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 12,234 Looking for a way out of Middl... IMGTX I Live Here
IMGTX I Live Here Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 12,234 Looking for a way out of Middl...	Quote: Quote: Have you removed the nut from the bottom and used a ball joint fork to seperate the arm (ball joint stud) from the spindle casting? +1 I didn't see from your response that you seperated the ball joint from the spindle and I think that this is where these guys are going. +2 Quote: I had to press my ball joints in. They weren't threaded, they had parallel grooves that I had to press out. The bolt in ball joints haved some very thin screw threads that look like parallel lines. You may have pressed in screw in ball joints. If so keep an eye on them. They can pull back out of the control arm, I have seen it happen. If the ball joint does not have the 4 flats on the edges where it meets the control arm it is a press in ball joint. If it has the 4 flats it is a screw in in my experience. As somebody already said that year is going to be screw in.

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: 1fastrunner] #222432 02/14/09 01:13 AM 02/14/09 01:13 AM
Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 8,681 A Andrewh master
Andrewh master A Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 8,681	Quote: I removed the nut from the bottom, and used the socket to unscrew the top. It has stopped coming up even though it's still rotates. I didn't try to pry it out yet because I didn't want to mess up any threads by mistake. So, I just need to pry it out? Jim can you compare it to the new one? See how much is still threaded in there? There might just be some metal shavings holding it in place depending on where the taper starts. Is the whole thing spining, or just part of it? Pretty sure the casing that you turn has the threads. Are you turning by hand? or do you think it is turning because the socket is moving? That is, sometimes it seats a bit shallow, and the socket may move, but the balljoint doesn't.

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: 1fastrunner] #222433 02/14/09 01:54 AM 02/14/09 01:54 AM
Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 765 Shoreline, Washington 72roadrunnergtx super stock
72roadrunnergtx super stock Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 765 Shoreline, Washington	As I read the OP�s postings, I don�t hear that the upper ball joint has been separated from the spindle prior to attempting to remove the joint from the upper control arm. Assuming you are performing the repair on the car, Have you released the torsion bar tension yet? The method that works well for me is first before backing off on the torsion is to loosen, not remove, the spindle to ball joint nut and 1/8 inch or so and hitting the side of the spindle flange with a hammer to release the tapered stud. Back off the torsion bar completely, remove the nut to separate the ball joint from the spindle completely. Now the ball joint can be unscrewed from the control arm. 1972 Road Runner GTX 440 6bbl 5-speed [img]http://72rrgtx.com/carpics/bucket/DSC06730r-1.jpg[/img]

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: 72roadrunnergtx] #222434 02/14/09 02:24 AM 02/14/09 02:24 AM
Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,319 Chicago Burbs sthemi master
sthemi master Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,319 Chicago Burbs	Quote: As I read the OP�s postings, I don�t hear that the upper ball joint has been separated from the spindle prior to attempting to remove the joint from the upper control arm. Assuming you are performing the repair on the car, Have you released the torsion bar tension yet? The method that works well for me is first before backing off on the torsion is to loosen, not remove, the spindle to ball joint nut and 1/8 inch or so and hitting the side of the spindle flange with a hammer to release the tapered stud. Back off the torsion bar completely, remove the nut to separate the ball joint from the spindle completely. Now the ball joint can be unscrewed from the control arm. Well put, the stud has a nut that must removed and the stud is a Morse Taper that requires some effort to unseat from the spindle casting. After the torsion bar has been unscrewed.. I like a pickel fork and a BIG hammer to remove them.. Video Little Red Wagon Indy Nats,BurnoutContest

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: sthemi] #222435 02/14/09 08:14 PM 02/14/09 08:14 PM
Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland 1fastrunner OP top fuel
1fastrunner OP top fuel Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,126 Hunt Valley, Maryland	Bear with me because this is all new to me. I have removed my torsion bars and the crown nut. I then used a special socket to remove what I think is the upper ball joint from the upper control arm. I had to soak it good with pb blaster and used an impact wrench to get it to turn. As I was screwing it out, I could see the brake drum rise up tighter to the control arm. It then continued to spin with no change. It can't be turned by hand either. I just need to know what to do next without messing anything up. Separating the joint from the spindle has been mentioned as well as using a pickle fork. Please advise, I won't be doing anything until tomorrow, but I like to plan. Thanks, Jim

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: 1fastrunner] #222436 02/14/09 08:38 PM 02/14/09 08:38 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 104,346 Garden Grove, CA OzHemi Penguin-hating Ginger
OzHemi Penguin-hating Ginger Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 104,346 Garden Grove, CA	You have to remove the spindle from the ball joint before you go any further. It should be removed before you try and even loosen the ball joint at all actually. You can use a pickle fork, or using a large hammer, hit with a few sharp raps the side of the spindle, right where the ball joint goes through it...I do this alot and it will usually shock the spindle enough and let it fall off of the ball joint. Once you have the spindle loose and let it drop out of the way, the upper ball joint should come right out.

Re: Upper Ball Joint question [Re: OzHemi] #222437 02/14/09 10:10 PM 02/14/09 10:10 PM
Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 8,681 A Andrewh master
Andrewh master A Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 8,681	I agree. all you have to do is get the spindle loose. I would support it with something, or thread the nut back on to catch it so it doesn't bounce off the ground.

Page 1 of 2

1

2

Moderated by Al_Alguire, Hotwheelsjr, moparts, not_a_charger, RangerDan440, tboomer

Hop To

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.1