JO 753
New Member
I've had 72 New Yorkers, Imperials and several other C body modelz since 1981.
Wun uv the common problemz I've had iz that the ball joints get sloppy very quickly.
Last yir, I desided to take the steering arm joint apart on an old spare and found that it did not hav a solid ball! Its less than haf a ball with a plate & a spring behind it. Obviously this iz intended to compensate for wear, but its a bad idea kuz it effectively eliminates the capasity to handle side impacts. No wunder why I'd put on a new wun and within 6 months it woud be sloppy agen.
So I made a new stainless steel ball and brass socket and installed them in the arm. (I own a machine shop)
Then I found that sum uv the lower ball joints are similar, with a split ball dezine. (I think it wuz sum time around 73 that they swiched to this dezine, kuz I hav joints that are solid ball.) It duznt take long if you are a hard driver in Chicago to turn thoze joints to junk. Since a sufficient impact will slide the upper haf uv the assembled ball in relation to the lower haf, it will expand the socket. The nylon can only giv so much, so a medium size pot hole iz enuf to ruin it. So I made an SS ball and 7075-T7 aluminum socket and rebilt it.
Herez the new ball, the old wun and a 2 piece old wun:
Herez the control arm befor assembly:
Herez the old wun off the car & the complete rebilt wun:
Notis the aluminum nut. Stainless steel will weld itself to any kind uv steel under pressure, so the nut needz to be sumthing else.
Wun uv the common problemz I've had iz that the ball joints get sloppy very quickly.
Last yir, I desided to take the steering arm joint apart on an old spare and found that it did not hav a solid ball! Its less than haf a ball with a plate & a spring behind it. Obviously this iz intended to compensate for wear, but its a bad idea kuz it effectively eliminates the capasity to handle side impacts. No wunder why I'd put on a new wun and within 6 months it woud be sloppy agen.
So I made a new stainless steel ball and brass socket and installed them in the arm. (I own a machine shop)
Then I found that sum uv the lower ball joints are similar, with a split ball dezine. (I think it wuz sum time around 73 that they swiched to this dezine, kuz I hav joints that are solid ball.) It duznt take long if you are a hard driver in Chicago to turn thoze joints to junk. Since a sufficient impact will slide the upper haf uv the assembled ball in relation to the lower haf, it will expand the socket. The nylon can only giv so much, so a medium size pot hole iz enuf to ruin it. So I made an SS ball and 7075-T7 aluminum socket and rebilt it.
Herez the new ball, the old wun and a 2 piece old wun:
Herez the control arm befor assembly:
Herez the old wun off the car & the complete rebilt wun:
Notis the aluminum nut. Stainless steel will weld itself to any kind uv steel under pressure, so the nut needz to be sumthing else.
