I am in the process of replacing my suspension parts. I removed the old lower ball joint, but the new ones aren't big enough to make a tight fit. They just go right in the hole, but not tight at all. Anyone run into this problem? I hope it doesn't mean my lower control arm hole is too big. The old one seemed to be in real tight. Had to press it out.

It is pretty common to "wear out" the hole in the lower control arm. They make oversize ball joints to allow you to replace the joint without having to replace the A-arm.

Jeff

I think as it turns out, the problem was the new joints I got from Pep Boys. Perfect Circle brand. They treid another one, but same problem. I picked a ball joint up from NPD, Mcqay-Norris brand, and it feels right! It's amazing how manufactures can be so different.
How do you feel about tack welding the joint to the arfm when finished.

Originally posted by ctrain22:
I think as it turns out, the problem was the new joints I got from Pep Boys. Perfect Circle brand. They treid another one, but same problem. I picked a ball joint up from NPD, Mcqay-Norris brand, and it feels right! It's amazing how manufactures can be so different.
How do you feel about tack welding the joint to the arfm when finished. You might have automatically gotten the "saver" ball joint. Some manufacturers figure that after 30 years, no one needs OE size ball joints so why justify the cost of 2 part numbers. Or, the dope at Pep Boys could have given you the wrong part twice :D I spent 5 or 6 years behind the counter so either story could be true. PB was where you went after you got fired from Advance and Auto Zone ;)
As far as tack welding the joints, I did, a couple of years ago with no problems so I say do it if you need to.

Jeff

turns out the ones I got from NPD were also too small. Better fit, but not right. Checked the old one in the a-arm hole to make sure it didn't get strectched, and the fit is right. I wonder if someone already replaced it since it seems to be in good shape internally. The boot was cracked, but everything else seems ok. Might just press the old one back in. Where can I get oversized ones, or the right ones?

Get your ball joints from NAPA. Their house brand are built extremely well & will hold up for many years. I tried the McQuay-Norris ones & they just kept wearing out. Once I switched to the NAPA ones, the problems disappeared. They will cost you a bit more (about $125 for a complete set), but they fit perfectly, carry a lifetime warranty (save your receipt), & install without trouble.