Lower ball joint question.

Joseph James

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I have a 68 Sport Fury. Car clunks over bumps, so I have been shopping suspension parts.

FSM says lower ball joint is replaced as a unit to include the hunk of steel that bolts to spindle and tie rod end.

Rock Auto lists a lower that is not an assembly. Is that possible-to remove just the ball joint?

RA lists Mevotech MK719 as a lower for my car.
Mevotech Parts Online
 
The lower is replaced as a unit, as the FSM shows. It bolts to the spindle. Unfortuinately there is no alternative. The Mevotech listing is wrong. It may be the UPPER balljoint though, because the upper looks like the one pictured in your link.

Correct lower balljoint looks like this:
3004817.jpg
 
The lower is replaced as a unit, as the FSM shows. It bolts to the spindle. Unfortuinately there is no alternative. The Mevotech listing is wrong. It may be the UPPER balljoint though, because the upper looks like the one pictured in your link.

Correct lower balljoint looks like this:
View attachment 325114

Thank you for clearing that up! I’m out of work this week with a back injury, so I am using my time to shop for parts :) When my back gets better, it would be nice to get some work done on the Fury.

I found this
Passenger-side Lower Ball Joint
 
Ball joints usually do not clunk as they wear. I would suspect a bad lower control arm bushing or a bad shock bushing would be a more likely cause. Stabilizer bushings if the car is so equipped can also clunk if they are worn out. The FSM gives the procedure to check the ball joints. Mopar lower joints on a C-Body have a tapered recess inside the joint to compensate for wear. As noted above, check all the rubber parts first.

Dave
 
That's it. Have you checked to make sure that the lower ball is your problem and not something else? Also, check everything else (upper ball, bushings, etc) since you will be in there.

No I have not. Previous owners didn’t take care of the car, so I don’t know what kind of shape suspension parts are in.

Honestly, I don’t know how to tell which is bad. I noticed the control arm bushings look crusty. I have some play both directions in steering. I get a clunk over speed bumps, etc.

The steering coupler has been replaced. Also, the steering gear has been apart-I can see marks where it was either tapped on or off with a chisel.

I just figured the lower took the most beating.


Edit-I just saw Davea Lux’s post. I have 2 struts in my shopping cart at RA. I looked at control arm bushings. I saw another member’s homemade removal tool and I think I can make one and get them out. My only worry is screwing up front end alignment.
 
No I have not. Previous owners didn’t take care of the car, so I don’t know what kind of shape suspension parts are in.

I would assume that everything needs to be replaced then, especially anything that looks like an amateur attempted to work on it, at least until you properly check everything and determine that it's good to go.

Light cracking around the edges of the bushings are normal, especially with age. The lower control arm bushing will likely be shot, which is what made a "clunk" in my car and set off a full suspension rebuild last year.
 
I would assume that everything needs to be replaced then, especially anything that looks like an amateur attempted to work on it, at least until you properly check everything and determine that it's good to go.

Light cracking around the edges of the bushings are normal, especially with age. The lower control arm bushing will likely be shot, which is what made a "clunk" in my car and set off a full suspension rebuild last year.

Do I have to do anything with the torsion bars? FSM doesn’t mention anything about them.
 
Do I have to do anything with the torsion bars?

The torsion bars will need to have the adjusting screws backed off to take the tension off the lower control arms so that the front end can be disassembled. Torsion bars usually do not wear out, they can sometimes break. Usually breakage is the result of some other damage that was done to the torsion bars as a result of high centering and scraping the bar. The FSM gives the proper procedure for removing tension from the bars and for removal of the bars themselves. Do not under any circumstances use any grasping tools on the torsion bars that can scratch the surface of the bar, this will lead to cracking and failure at a later date.

Dave
 
Do I have to do anything with the torsion bars?

Yes. At a minimum you have to "unload" them. Actually, that should be the first thing that you do after getting the car on jack stands when you start to work on it.

Personally, I thought disassembly/re-assembly of my Chrysler suspension was much easier than of my '64 Impala or any other Chevy that I've worked on. No coil spring to try killing me.

Should you venture into any suspension work I suggest cleaning everything as best as you can in advance, and start soaking all nuts and bolts with your favorite penetrating oil a week in advance.
 
Depending on what needs replacing, you might be better off buying a front-end kit instead of all the parts separately. I think PST sells one, but so does Firm Feel. I trust parts from FF to be good quality.
Firmfeel Mopar Suspension and Steering

Checking tie rod ends, idler arm and pitman arm: With the car not running, get a helper to turn the steering wheel back and forth slowly, changing direction when it stiffens-up (i.e. they have taken the slack out of the steering and are now trying to actually turn the front wheels). Meanwhile you are laying in front of the car with a flashlight looking for slop in the tie rod ends, idler arm and pitman arm.

Checking lower balljoint: Jack-up one wheel by the LCA. While standing in front of the car, take a long piece of 2x4 and wedge one end under the raised wheel. Now pull up on the other end of the 2x4, using it as a lever to lift the front wheel, to take the load off the lower balljoint. Now wiggle the 2x4 from side to side. Look for side-to-side motion in the lower balljoint.

Checking upper balljoint. With the front wheel still suspended, kneel beside the raised wheel, grab the top of the tire, and attempt to wiggle it in and out (towards you and away from you). Make sure that the LCA is sitting firmly on the jack. You don't want it to slip off the jack while wiggling the wheel.
 
Yes. At a minimum you have to "unload" them. Actually, that should be the first thing that you do after getting the car on jack stands when you start to work on it.

Personally, I thought disassembly/re-assembly of my Chrysler suspension was much easier than of my '64 Impala or any other Chevy that I've worked on. No coil spring to try killing me.

Should you venture into any suspension work I suggest cleaning everything as best as you can in advance, and start soaking all nuts and bolts with your favorite penetrating oil a week in advance.

Thanks to you and Dave. When my back gets a little better I want to get this stuff done on the Fury. It squeaks, wanders, etc. I daily drive it, so I don’t want to worry about loss of control.
 
20190714_105747.jpg
I wanted to jump in about P-S-T parts - I got the entire front end rebuild from PST for a 68 fury. the stuff has failed already. they say its dry rot and will not honor replacement. then they want me to send in the parts so they can evaluate them.

I drive my car 1x/week, and only for about an hour at a time. its my sunday funday car. it gets 0 abuse, doesn't get driven in rain, etc., etc. and the PST rubber has already failed.

just sayin.

20190714_105712.jpg

i was setting my torsion bars back and looked up into the chassis and this . ..
 
Last edited:
I wanted to jump in about P-S-T parts - I got the entire front end rebuild from PST for a 68 fury. the stuff has failed already. they say its dry rot and will not honor replacement. then they want me to send in the parts so they can evaluate them.

I drive my car 1x/week, and only for about an hour at a time. its my sunday funday car. it gets 0 abuse, doesn't get driven in rain, etc., etc. and the PST rubber has already failed.

just sayin.

Thanks for that information. I looked at their complete kit. I drive my Fury as my primary vehicle so I will avoid.
 
I replaced everything on mine with moog parts because I know they are good quality. The only part that wasn't was the lower ball joint...pst...in my experience a clunk is normally the shocks in the rear...or a control arm bushing but if you are wandering too then I would suspect all of it needs to be replaced.
 
Just do your checks and figure out the problems and what needs to be replaced. If you wind up rebuilding the suspension I think you will be surprised at how well these cars drive with a fresh/tight suspension. With the original bushings and shot lower control arm bushings my car squeaked and wandered too. It was a night and day difference to me.

For what it's worth, I went with Rare Parts and Moog. If you decide to buy anything from Rare Parts, cross check the item # with Moog. A lot of their stuff is just over priced Moog with the same part #. I have never bought anything from PST so I have no personal experience with them.
 
One of the best things I did to my '68 Fury was rebuild the front end. I have owned the car since 1982 and finally got around to doing the suspension in '07. What a huge difference in ride quality, even while still running 14 inch tires. There is a member here on FCBO, Mobile Parts, that has what you will need for a front end rebuild. All good brand name parts, reasonably priced and good service too. Craig is also a big fan of our beloved C-bodies. I have bought several things from him over the years. If you don't already have one, get a factory service manual. Access to a hydraulic press is also an advantage. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the advice, folks. I have been reading through the suspension section of my FSM. I would like to have it committed to memory before beginning.

ordered lower control arm bushings and shocks (struts, technically, I suppose) today. That is a start.

The advice on how to test components is much appreciated. That should save time and $$!
 
View attachment 325264 I wanted to jump in about P-S-T parts - I got the entire front end rebuild from PST for a 68 fury. the stuff has failed already. they say its dry rot and will not honor replacement. then they want me to send in the parts so they can evaluate them.

I drive my car 1x/week, and only for about an hour at a time. its my sunday funday car. it gets 0 abuse, doesn't get driven in rain, etc., etc. and the PST rubber has already failed.

just sayin.

View attachment 325265
i was setting my torsion bars back and looked up into the chassis and this . ..
Is that a bumper and that rotted off? That was one part I didn't use from their kit.
 
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