C5 Corvette Front Upper and Lower Ball Joints
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,938
Likes: 498
From: Fords, NJ
There is no Factory part available as the FSM states you replace the entire knuckle and upper control arm with a new one as they come with the ball joints already pressed in.....
I replaced all of my ball joints and bushings. Yes, ball joints can be pressed out and back in but you have to be very careful to make sure they go in perfectly square. What I did was put the ball joints in the freezer overnight to help shrink the metal a wee bit.and the day of the job I heated the ball joint socket with a paint remover gun to help expand the aluminum and when it was hot I pressed in the ball joint. Worked like a charm. Again, I cannot stress how important it is to make sure you press them in square. If you see aluminum shaving emerging as you press the ball joint in then it's not going in properly and chances are you'll cause to socket to be out of round making for a loose fit or even cause the aluminum to crack.. No FSM will tell you this.
Uppers - Moog K500134 x 4
Lowers - Moog K6537 x 4
or:
Uppers - Raybestos 500-1128 x 4
Lowers - Raybestos 500-1339 x 4
All 4 corners take the same part numbers for upper and lower.
Pro
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 666
Likes: 30
From: Milwaukee WI
The uppers come with the upgraded c6zr1 knuckles for $150 from one of the forum vendors I believe, I almost bought some a couple weeks ago. Hardly worth worrying about them for that money, considering the upgrade. They will require an alignment as the tierod links are in a slightly different location supposedly. There is some info on them in the forums here.
I THINK the lower control arms are twice the price so worth possibly trying to replace that ball joint.
Just something to consider.
I THINK the lower control arms are twice the price so worth possibly trying to replace that ball joint.
Just something to consider.
