Ball Joints

[LM13]

aight so i went to the shop.
turns out all of my ball joints are shot.
so i ask the guy how much. he says something like 425 bucks to replace 4 ball joints and a tie rod.
so i call up jcwhitney they tell me that the balljoints for 96 caprices they don't have however they do have the 95 ones and those are at 15 a piece.
are the 95 and 96 ball joints the same?
are there any high perfomance ball joints?
thanks :D

[reverendstu]

I think in mid '95 they switched from 1/2" to 5/16" ball joints because the cops, cabs and Imps with the fatter tires were breaking the 1/2" ones. I don't know if there is any way to tell which ones you have without taking everything apart. Anyone?
Yeah, I think there are aftermarket upgrades. The PST super front end kit comes with them. I think if you want to go with bigger ones you have to get new spindles too, but I hope I'm wrong.
I could use a little info on this topic as well because if these losers ever get my tranny fixed I've got to do some serious suspension work right NOW! The BMR lca's are in a UPS truck on the way up from Florida as I write this. I'm leaning towards the PST polygraphite bushings up front and for the rear uppers, but haven't ordered yet.

[9C1LT195]

reverendstu is correct about the ball joint size change. The late 95 and all 96 9c1's got 5/8" ball joints instead of the older 9/16".

P.S. 1/2" is significantly bigger than 5/16", and there never were ball joints of that size in bodies. :p

[reverendstu]

D'oh!!!:eek:
Thanks 9C1LT195.

[LM13]

Originally posted by 9C1LT195
reverendstu is correct about the ball joint size change. The late 95 and all 96 9c1's got 5/8" ball joints instead of the older 9/16".

P.S. 1/2" is significantly bigger than 5/16", and there never were ball joints of that size in bodies. :p

so dima any after market ball joints that aren't too expensive to replace that you'd recommend?

[9C1LT195]

Moog. It's usually available from your local mechanic and is also used in Nascar.

[LM13]

Originally posted by 9C1LT195
Moog. It's usually available from your local mechanic and is also used in Nascar.

how much do those run?

[9C1LT195]

I think it's around $20-25 per ball joint.

[LM13]

Originally posted by 9C1LT195
I think it's around $20-25 per ball joint.

no fucken way near fucken 475 fucken dollars.
that motherfucker

[9C1LT195]

For $475 he better replace all balljoints, inner and outer tie rods, centerlink, idler arm and re-align the car afterwards.

[capriceman]

Originally posted by LM13


no fucken way near fucken 475 fucken dollars.
that motherfucker

Don't hold back man, how do You really feel?:D
I don't blame You.
My book says that to replace the lower ball joint, "Take the controll arm and a new balljoint to a machine shop".....
Apparently they have to be pressed out. But if You have the proper tools, You can do it.
It looks like to go to a larger joint, the hole for the securing end may have to be enlarged, but I don't think that You need to replace the arm.

[Incitatus]

Yeah, I've seen that.
The reason the price is so high is, well... wait 'til you change one of those suckers out.

Anyway, what I was going to say is you'll need:
a good spring compressor,
a drill with a sharp bit -maybe two good bits,
a 5/16" punch,
a cold chisel,
a 48 ounce hammer,
a die grinder or dremmel with a couple of good, strong sharp burrs
and then common mechanic tools.

The stock ball joints are riveted in place. Put the spring compressor in place and relieve the spring pressure. Remove either the upper or lower ball joint nut and separate the spindle from the control arm *snicker*...
Remove the spring. Drill out the rivets holding the ball joint in place and drive the rivets out with the punch. Use the chisel to separate the ball joint from the control arm.
Chances are pretty good that you'll have to enlarge the hole for the ball joint, thus the die grinder. I just don't think you'll have the time or patience to use a hand file...

Now the hard one. The bottom one sucks unless you can get the car a couple of feet in the air -drilling the rivets out can cause hot metal shavings to fall on your face (use goggles not glasses)

A couple of suggestions about getting the ball joints to come loose from the spindle:
Some people have had success using a section of heavy (3/8" or bigger) all-thread with a nut and deep socket to press the ball joing out of the spindle.
Or you could leave a slight amount of pressure on the spring -NOT TOO MUCH!! and hit the side of the spindle where the ball joint is coming through (not the ball joint itself, it could mushroom)

[Incitatus]

More often than not the new ball joints will come with mounting bolts and nuts.
You might want to dedicate a weekend to this project. It might not take more than a couple of hours, but if it runs into extra innings you'll appreciate the additional time you've allowed for it.