Having a ball joint fail can lead to catastrophic consequences. At best you ruin a wheel – at worst you could end up crashing. Ball joints play a crucial role in the suspension as they mount the spindle, twist for steering, and allow the suspension to go up and down.
On classic cars, the ball joints are pressed into a stamped steel arm. When you start adding more horsepower, then better tires, and better brakes – these arms and ball joints are seeing considerably more stress than in a factory application. Ball joints wear out over time so it’s important to inspect and replace as needed.
In a press-fit application, the tolerances are incredibly tight. In fact the trick most at-home mechanics do is to put the ball joint in the freezer to shrink it down, and heat up the control arm to expand it. With this, you’re able to install the ball joint much easier.
The stresses put on the ball joints and control arms in this press-fit application are quite a lot. And what you don’t see is what you need to be aware of. With the naked eye, the hole looks round in the control arm and can have new ball joints pressed in or out without issue.
The issue though is that all the strain the ball joints see is deforming the shape of the hole in the control arm. The ball joint is stretching out the hole ever so slightly which will cause a loose press-fit situation. With the ball joint looser than the factory spec, it can come loose when driving.
The best solution is to replace the entire control arm while replacing the ball joints. This will help ensure that the ball joint has a precise press fit and won’t come apart. Especially if you’re restoring to original specs and digging through piles of used control arms, be wary that a visual inspection might not tell the whole story.
If you want to avoid the headache of determining whether or not your control arms and ball joints are good. you can pick up a new set right here from us at SS396.com. If you have more questions, you’re always free to call our friendly techs at (203) 235-1200!
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Michael bought this Chevelle when he was stationed at Laughlin AFB in TX. He bought this car in ’86 from a lady who moved to
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