{"id":18276,"date":"2015-09-15T09:24:47","date_gmt":"2015-09-15T16:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=18276"},"modified":"2015-09-16T11:15:26","modified_gmt":"2015-09-16T18:15:26","slug":"installing-new-ball-joints-and-control-arm-bushings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/installing-new-ball-joints-and-control-arm-bushings\/","title":{"rendered":"Installing New Ball Joints and Control Arm Bushings"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Control<\/a>
Read on to get the basics on how to detect and change worn ball joints and control arm bushings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ball joints and control arm bushings are integral parts of your strip burner’s suspension. \u00a0As wear items, they are things that you will eventually have to remove and replace with new ones, if you plan on keeping your car in good running order. \u00a0While the job of “R&R” (removal and replacement) of these parts is time-consuming and requires a few specialty tools, it isn’t difficult as long as you pay attention to safety.<\/p>\n

What Are Ball Joints and Control Arm Bushings?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before I can start explaining what ball joints and control arm bushings are, I have to tell you what control arms are. \u00a0In a nutshell, control arms are what connect your car’s wheels to the frame. \u00a0Older cars have to of them up front, upper and lower control arms. \u00a0Sandwiched between these, you will find the steering knuckle\/kingpin assembly. \u00a0Connecting this assembly to the control arm are the ball joints. \u00a0The kingpin\/steering knuckle assembly is what supports the wheel and allows it to roll.<\/p>\n

Every car has at least one ball joint. \u00a0Most of our strip burners, as older cars with coil spring front suspensions, have two. \u00a0The ball joints allow for suspension travel. \u00a0The joint is able to pivot a full 360 degrees as your car goes down the road and you turn the wheels left and right. \u00a0The control arm bushings allow the control arm to pivot up and down as you drive down the road. \u00a0Cars with MacPherson struts only have lower control arms, so they only have one ball joint instead of two. \u00a0On these cars, the strut acts as the upper connection point for the steering knuckle\/kingpin assembly.<\/p>\n

\"Ford\/GM<\/a>
Ford or GM upper ball joint<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How Can You Tell When a Ball Joint Has Gone Bad?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each of the Big Three American automakers has a different procedure for checking ball joints. \u00a0No matter what kind of car you’ve got, you have to make sure the wheel bearings are in good condition and properly packed before you can even think of checking the ball joints. \u00a0Chevys\/GMs are usually easy:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Jack the car up just enough to get the front wheels off the ground.<\/li>\n
  2. Grasp the tire firmly at the top and bottom.<\/li>\n
  3. Wiggle the tire up and down at the top.<\/li>\n
  4. Watch and feel for movement in the ball joint between the knuckle and control arm.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Most older GM models that are still equipped with OEM lower ball joints also have wear indicator nipples. \u00a0On these vehicles, the wear indicator will withdraw into the ball joint housing when the joint is worn and needs replacing. \u00a0The wear indicator is where the grease nipple (Zerk fitting) threads into the joint.<\/p>\n

    \"Mustang<\/a>
    Aftermarket control arms for 94-04 Mustangs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Most Fords are similar yet different:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Jack the car up until the wheels are approximately three to four inches off the ground.<\/li>\n
    2. Place a pry bar or lever under the center of the tire.<\/li>\n
    3. Lift up on the lever and tire while observing (looking and feeling) for movement in the ball joint.<\/li>\n
    4. If you can see or feel movement other than the sidewall compressing, you\u2019ve found a worn ball joint that needs to be replaced.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      There is some confusion among many people about how to test ball joints on Mopar products. \u00a0Goodyear and Moog taught me years ago to use a procedure similar to that used for Chevy products with the main difference being to lift the vehicle under the control arm. \u00a0Most suspension parts and car manufacturers say that you need to use a dial indicator to check to see how much movement there is in the joint. \u00a0Anything over .030 inches of travel indicates a worn joint. \u00a0Experience has told me that any movement that you can detect by eye is enough to tell you to replace the joint.<\/p>\n

      Checking Control Arm Bushings<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Control arm bushings are usually pretty easy to tell when they need replacement. \u00a0The first sign they give you is that they start squeaking. \u00a0I’m sure you’ve all heart at least one set of worn bushings in your life. \u00a0They sound like a worn set of bed springs as the car rolls down the road.<\/p>\n

      \"Mopar<\/a>
      Lower control arm from a 65-75 Mopar product.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      However, not all worn control arm bushings squeak. \u00a0These can be checked visually. \u00a0If they look like they’re falling apart, replace them. \u00a0Next, insert a small pry bar between the upper pivot arm and frame and pull up with your weak arm. \u00a0There should be next to zero movement. \u00a0A better way to test them is the two-man method:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Jack the car up enough to be able to slide underneath and place a jack stand under the frame.<\/li>\n
      2. Slide under the car and eyeball the bushings.<\/li>\n
      3. Have your helper yank the wheel back and forth while you watch for movement of the control arm within the bushing and pocket. Any motion denotes a worn bushing.<\/li>\n
      4. Slide out and repeat the process for the uppers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        You can also perform the sound test, but this will usually only work on very worn bushings. \u00a0Coast forward or backwards slowly. \u00a0Hit the brakes. \u00a0Listen for a small clunk coming from the area of the control arms and bushings.<\/p>\n

        \"Lower<\/a>
        Lower control arm off a Volvo. Many American vehicles have lower control arms that are similar to this.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        Tools and Equipment You Will Need for This Repair<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Quite a few of the tools and equipment you’ll need for this job may be ones you already own. \u00a0You’ll need a jack, wheel chocks\/blocks of wood, jack stands, sockets, and wrenches. \u00a0You’ll also need something to separate the ball joints from the knuckle – this cal be either a pickle fork or a ball joint separator tool. \u00a0To remove the old ball joints from the control arms, you’ll either need a drill to drill out the rivets as on most older Chevy products and some Ford products, you’ll need a ball joint tool,<\/a>\u00a0like for Mopar products. \u00a0Of course, this generalization only holds for OEM ball joints.<\/p>\n

        Replacing Ball Joints – Pre-81 GM Products\/Ford Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

        To replace the ball joints, you’ve got to separate the control arm(s) from the steering knuckle. \u00a0The first step is to remove the coil springs<\/a>. \u00a0After separating the steering knuckle from the control arm(s), be sure to support the knuckle, spindle, rotor, and caliper\/drum assembly, leaving slack in the brake hose. \u00a0Removing the control arm assembly adds a little time to the process, but it does make the job quite a bit easier. \u00a0This is accomplished by removing the two nuts and bolts where the control arm meets the frame. \u00a0Don’t forget to remove the sway bar links first. \u00a0In fact, now would probably be a great time to replace them. \u00a0If you’ve got the money, while you’re at that, go with a larger sway bar to add more stability in corners.<\/p>\n

        OEM ball joints in older GM products are riveted to the control arm. If you\u2019ve got an air hammer and chisel, or a good ball peen hammer and chisel, use them to chop the rivet out. If not, I feel for you, you\u2019re going to have to drill the rivets out without damaging the control arm. Take it easy and don\u2019t rush yourself.<\/p>\n

        If you look at the new ball joints and the control arm(s), you\u2019ll notice that there\u2019s only one way the new ball joints will fit properly, meaning all three mounting holes line up properly. Instead of rivets, the new ball joints are bolted to the control arms. Torque these to about 30 ft-lbs. After reassembling everything, torque the upper ball joint stud to 60 ft-lbs and the lower to 90 (Pontiacs are 75 and 75, while Camaros are 83). If you\u2019ve pulled the control arms, torque them to the following (in ft-lbs):<\/p>\n