I pressed in new ball joints. One ball joint doesn't seem to fit in snug like it should. If fits in with some friction and will stay in place by itself, but I'm afraid with the weight of the car on it, it may turn with the steering knuckle. I could remove the ball joint now that it's installed with a few firm taps of a hammer. It doesn't wiggle in the hole, but as I said it may turn in the hole with some forces against it.

I see no signs of stress on the control arm and I see no cracks. I had the part sandblaseted and before I painted it I inspected it closely for damage and found none. Perhaps the ball joint housing is slightly undersized or perhaps the hole has been slightly enlarged from a previous poor installation.

Would an acceptable solution be to tack weld the ball joint in to keep it from turning in the hole? Or would that be creating a weak spot for future failure?

I'd just tap the formed flange in the control arm with a hammer, to tighten up the press-fit. No heat stress that way.

I have a ball joint on my 'Camino just like that. No problems in the many years it's been together.

I've had a LBJ spit out the bottom, sucks big time. If it doesn't fit correctly, get a new control arm. I don't mess with suspension not do I recommend it. It is easy to say it should be OK when it's not your car and you are not driving it. Better safe than sorry.

I say tac weld it. Nothing more than 2 or 3 spots. Roundy round cars do this alot as they get rebuilt yearly.

We did 2 sets last year for a couple Chevelles in the club. Really with the weight of the car on it, it would likely out last you, the way it is.

If the ball joint is not tight in the arm it will most likely fall out during driving. The best way would be to replace the arm, but I have seen many balljoints welded in without any problem.
Good Luck

How could a ball joint just "fall out"?

I mean the large nut on the end of the ball joint shouldn't magically come off. :(

I doubt it could fall out, after all the spring is pressing the control arm away from the frame while the spindle is pulling the joing up into the frame. I would tack weld it though so it cant move and open up the mounting hole any more.

The nut doesn't come off, the whole thing gets shoved back through the A-arm.

I was in a rush when I did mine and push it in a bit cockeyed so it fit loose. I just tacked it in 3 spots and it's been fine for several years now. I don't drive it nears as much as I used to but I wasn't afraid to lean on it when I drove it daily.

Jeff

Jeff is correct
The ball joint will come out the bottom of the arm
It will still be attached to the spindle but no longer in the arm. One good bump going down the road can cause this. Its not a pretty sight

I've seen em welded and they seem ok
until you go to replace em
I would change the control arm though
once they start getting loose that means the metal there is fatigued
and I also have seen the control arm split and the ball joint come up through
like the other guy said it ain't pretty
especially when you mess up the fender and all the stuff that drags on the ground
and not to mention yorself if that senario would cause a major or fatal crash

If it's going to bother you later on, now's the time to replace the arm.

Rich,
Is a '65 lower control arm the same as a '67?
If so, I MAY still have the originals recently removed from my '67 that you're welcome to.
In great shape (rust free GA car with only 43K miles) but I had purchased a complete disc brake setup that included reconditioned control arms...made the swap/upgrade an easy afternoon project.
Email if interested...

Just don't ebay it ;)

Guess not... :rolleyes:

Originally posted by BillsCamino:
Guess not... :rolleyes: I did send you an e-mail Bill, did you not get it?

I'll send another (and thanks for the offer).

I manage a Napa Auto Parts store. I have seen a few of these issues crop up. Usually it seems to happen when you are pulling the ball joint out. Seems to distort the lower control arm hole. And then when you put the new one in it is loose. If you have a good parts guy have him check a couple more from his stock with a micrometer. I find that they can run .002 larger or more. Might be just enough to take up the slack.

I have seen many with tack welds to hold them in place. I think it is fine if it is still a tight fit, but if it is loose or wobbly get a replacement control arm.

You might check out the Moog "problem solver" lower ball joints. I think they are a little bigger on the OD. .010" ???
You should also measure the OD of the old ball joint and compare to the new one.
Tack welding a loose ball joint is fairly common. not a problem if done correctly, IMHO.

Nate

??????? Raising the dead?

Still trying to figure out what this Note from the 1964 Chevelle Shop Manual in the section about replacing ball jlonts means:

NOTE: The lower control arm spherical joint is a loose fit in the assembly when not connected to the steering knuckle.

Does "spherical joint" refer to the ball joint? Is it normal to be a loose fit?

This thread is ancient, but I'll take a second crack at it.

My '68 Chassis Service Manual says the same thing--"The lower control arm spherical joint [ball joint, BJ] is a loose fit in the assembly [control arm] when not connected to the steering knuckle [and therefore having spring tension hold it in place]. (My words in brackets) I have NO reason to believe that not having a tight press-fit is an issue.

The control arm is formed so the hole the ball joint sits in has a downward-facing flange or rim. When the ball joint is pushed UP into the control arm, the rib on the BJ seats against that flange/rim. I say that if the BJ is not actually a slip-fit (meaning that it takes some slight amount of force to press the BJ into the control arm) you should be fine. The chassis service manual would seem to suggest that even a slip-fit would be acceptable!

The only way the ball joint is going to spin in the control arm is if the friction of the greased and semi-polished ball 'n' socket is GREATER than the friction of the whole stinkin' joint rotating in the stamped hole in the 'arm. In short--NO WAY IS THAT GOING TO HAPPEN when it's actually loaded 'n' stressed by the front coil spring pressure.

The only way the ball joint can seperate from the control arm is if the control arm stamping can distort/elongate/stretch/crack enough to allow the rib on the ball joint to pass through the hole in the control arm. We're not talking .002-.010, we're talking an eighth of an inch, probably more. Keep in mind that the control arm was deliberately formed with the flange/rim pointing toward the rib on the ball joint, and so it's strongest in the same direction that the forces are being applied. Anything "can" happen, but having a BJ pull through the control arm is very unlikey. You'd be more likely to have the control arm break near the ball joint, so the end of the control arm with the ball joint seperates from the main part of the arm. Another even more common failure is having the ball pull out of the socket--but that's an issue with worn-out parts.

Rich-L79 started this thread, and to answer his question (nearly a year later) YOU HAVE NO PROBLEM. Put it together, DON'T weld it, sleep soundly.