BlackRocket

At what mileage shoud you consider replacing the upper and lower ball joints? I am in the process of installing poly-graphite bushings and was considering replacing the ball-joints at the same time. Has anyone here replaced the upper ball-joint. Do you have to drill out the rivits, and then replace them with bolts??? :confused:

lowflyer

My opinion is that if you are going to be updating other parts of the front suspension, you might as well go ahead and do the ball joints anyway. Its not too hard, and it can't hurt to do it before failure.

Yes, the procedure is to drill out the old rivets and replace them with bolts and nuts, but I think you may still be able to buy riveted ones if you need to maintain the "factory correctness" of the car. Its not too difficult, just be careful and unload the front spring before you start drilling or grinding away:) Good luck.

JAKE

The uppers are a piece of cake to replace. The lowers are another story altogether.

I changed my uppers last year in no time.

The lowers, I attacked a couple of weeks ago and took me a couple of hours per side.

I rented the tool (big "C" clamp looking arrangment) from AutoZone (free) with a $100 refundable deposit. Getting the old ones out was pretty easy, but pressing in the new ones was the time consuming part.

The trick is to make sure that the new joint is perfectly straight in the control arm hole in order for it to press in. If cocked even a little, it won't go.

Hope this helps.

Jake

ZAP

Uppers rarley wear out , they carry a minimal load.
If you want to do the lowers....buy a balljoint press and grind the correct sleeve so it fits flush on the lower control arm. Been there , done that. If you modify the sleeve it makes the job SO much easier.