Ball joint woes.

[3C's & a D?]

I recently drove over some train tracks and the front driver side suspension sounded and felt like it was about to fall apart. Upon inspection the upper ball joint boot was torn and putting it through the motions with a trolley jack made some unhealthy sounds. So I went down to my local parts guy (Gary), and he has one on the shelf! And it's in a mouse nibbled box! Not usually a selling feature, however in our made in China days, it is to me. Unfortunately even though the number on it is the same the shaft is significantly wider. The old one came out without any effort, I could see that it wasn't seated completely. There are still some threads though. Anyone know what this joint is for? Also the old one, once removed doesn't seem all that bad, a little loose overall with some tight spots. I can't see it being the source of the problem though, which only rears it's head in drastic situations, eg. Train tracks. Car is a '70 Newport convertible, and worth mentioning is the fact that for the last 25-30 years the torsion bars were jacked to the max. I recently have been returning things to the way they "should be". Also had ten leafs per side in the rear and coil overs, removed three leaves per side and replaced the coil overs with Monroes.

 

[3C's & a D?]

 

[commando1]

I believe it is worth mentioning.

and worth mentioning is the fact that for the last 25-30 years the torsion bars were jacked to the max. I recently have been returning things to the way they "should be". Also had ten leafs per side in the rear and coil overs, removed three leaves per side and replaced the coil overs with Monroes.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

You should throw some shocks at it also.
Truck item if I have a guess.
Listing it on rock auto as problem solver, maybe to allow fresh taper ream in spindle, contrary to today's thinking they actually used to fix things not today's R&R mentality.

 

[detmatt]

Looks like they’d fit my 1 ton van.

 

[330dTA]

Somebody mixed things up; the felt pen marking on that package is misleading. #FA-252 does not correspond Moog #K772. The correct McQuay-Norris part would be #FA-395:

Suspension Ball Joint-McQuay Norris Front Upper McQuay-Norris FA395 | eBay

 

[Snotty]

I replaced one ball joint when I converted my car, also a '70 ragtop, to disk brakes. I had no problem getting the correct ball joint at my local parts shop.

Yes, I tightened it down after taking this shot.

 

[3C's & a D?]

You should throw some shocks at it also.
Truck item if I have a guess.
Listing it on rock auto as problem solver, maybe to allow fresh taper ream in spindle, contrary to today's thinking they actually used to fix things not today's R&R mentality.

That was it! I suspected them, but I hate to judge by looks. It passed the old push down on the fender test. One valve was shot, the shaft comes out nice and slow but retracts fast. Old oil filled piece. The old one still has the Monroe "good for life" sticker on it, Gary the parts guy tells me if I can find the original invoice they'll honour it, that's not happening though. I figure the bushing was original if not the shock, due to its one piece design which had to be cut to get out. It had a steel sleeve midway through, should I force that thing halfway between the two or what? That's what my sense tells me to do.

 

[3C's & a D?]

 

[3C's & a D?]

Somebody mixed things up; the felt pen marking on that package is misleading. #FA-252 does not correspond Moog #K772. The correct McQuay-Norris part would be #FA-395:

Suspension Ball Joint-McQuay Norris Front Upper McQuay-Norris FA395 | eBay

Thanks for the information, I will pass this on to Gary. He is rarely wrong, been doing parts for fifty years. So I kind of relish telling him " this isn't right ". He always comes up with something though. Wouldn't trade him for anyone.

 

[3C's & a D?]

I replaced one ball joint when I converted my car, also a '70 ragtop, to disk brakes. I had no problem getting the correct ball joint at my local parts shop.
View attachment 197078
Yes, I tightened it down after taking this shot.

He could've ordered the right part for me. I bought that one before I had the old one out. He agreed that the old one was still good, so I returned it and purchased a new boot and a pair of shocks. I decided against forcing the old sleeve into the new bushings as they didn't appear to require it and given the components range of motion, I can't understand what it would've done originally. Once I got everything back together I drove over the same set of tracks with no drama!